Systems and methods for network curation

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for network curation are disclosed. In some embodiments, a method comprises scanning, by a mobile device, an area to identify a network device for accessing a network, receiving, by the mobile device, a network identifier associated with the network device, providing a curation indicator request to a curation server, the curation indicator request comprising the network identifier, receiving a curation indicator from the curation server, the curation indicator being retrieved, based on the network identifier, from a database of a plurality of curation indicators, the curation indicator associated with a likelihood of intent to publicly share the network by the network device, comparing the curation indicator to an access setting, the access setting indicating acceptability of network access based on the likelihood of intent to publicly share the network by the network device, and accessing the network via the network device based on the comparison.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/442,780 filed Feb. 14, 2011, and entitled “Systemsand Methods for Network Curation” which is incorporated herein byreference.

The present application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S.Nonprovisional patent application Ser. No. 12/240,969, filed Sep. 29,2008 now U.S. Pat. No. 8,194,589, entitled “Systems and Methods forWireless Network Selection Based on Attributes Stored in a NetworkDatabase” which claims benefit to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 60/976,344 filed Sep. 28, 2007, entitled “Systems and Methods forOpportunistic Access to Free and Open Wireless Networks,” both of whichare incorporated by reference herein. The U.S. Nonprovisional patentapplication Ser. No. 12/240,969 is also a continuation-in-part of U.S.Nonprovisional patent application Ser. No. 12/240,920, filed Sep. 29,2008, entitled “Systems and Methods for Wireless Network Selection”which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Nonprovisional patentapplication Ser. No. 11/899,739, filed Sep. 6, 2007 now U.S. Pat. No.8,196,188, entitled “Systems and Methods for Providing NetworkCredentials” which claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 60/824,756 filed Sep. 6, 2006, and entitled “Network CredentialDiscovery Using DNS,” which are all hereby incorporated by reference.The present application is also related to co-pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/899,697, entitled “System and Method forAcquiring Network Credentials,” filed Sep. 6, 2007, and co-pending U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/899,638, entitled “Systems and Methodsfor Obtaining Network Access,” filed Sep. 6, 2007 both of which areincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to accessing communicationnetworks. More particularly, the invention relates to the automaticaccess of wireless communication networks.

2. Description of Related Art

The increasing use of the networks to access information has resulted ina greater dependence on network communication for a variety ofactivities. With this dependence comes the growing expectation thatnetwork access will be ubiquitous. Network access for mobile users hasbeen particularly enhanced by improvements in wireless technology.Various cellular (e.g. GSM, CDMA and the like), Wi-Fi (i.e. IEEE802.11), WiMAX (i.e. IEEE 802.16), and other technologies have enabled awide range of access options for a potential network user. Many wirelessaccess points or “hotspots” are accessible only with local geographicregions—in some cases as small as a specific business or other address.In addition, strategically placed hotspots may provide public or privatenetwork access for a diverse group of people.

The owners or managers of hotspots often require password and the liketo enable user access. As a result, a user of multiple hotpots may haveto store, remember, or otherwise manage a large number of passwords.Many users may store their passwords on a laptop computer they use toaccess the hotspot. However, not all devices capable of accessinghotspots are laptop computers; cellular phones, personal digitalassistants (PDAs), and many other devices are now capable of wirelessaccess. Unfortunately, users often cannot easily enter the password onthe device or store the password within the device. For example, somedevices capable of wireless access may not have a keyboard. Even when adevice includes a keyboard, the keyboard is often small and may be oflimited functionality, especially for users with limited fingerdexterity.

When users store passwords on a laptop computer, the user must firstaccess the laptop computer and store the correct password within thecomputer. When a password changes, the user is required to update thepassword within the computer. Additionally, having the username andpassword stored in the device presents a security problem should thedevice be lost or stolen.

Further, users are typically required to enter a password, username, andnavigate a website to obtain network access. This process is timeconsuming and the user may enter the wrong information and be forced tore-enter data.

When users enter a password manually, they are less apt to rememberdifficult passwords. As a result, simple password access is susceptibleto hacking and may compromise the user's network access, the hotspot,and/or the user's personal information. Moreover, the user's networkaccess may be stolen if the user's simple password is hacked or simplyguessed.

Connecting to wireless networks has traditionally been a complex processfor users of wireless devices for other reasons. Typically, the userenters an area where two or more Wi-Fi networks are present, selects theWi-Fi function on their laptop, and views a series of ‘scan results’listing the available Wi-Fi networks. In one example, the listing ofavailable Wi-Fi networks comprises a list of Wi-Fi network SSIDidentifiers. Users must often identify which Wi-Fi networks do not haveencryption or other security mechanisms (e.g., a login page). To add touser frustration, some of the wireless networks may be functional whileothers may be misconfigured in such a way that renders the networkunuseable.

The user typically makes an arbitrary decision which Wi-Fi network toconnect to based on the listing. In making a decision of which Wi-Finetwork to connect, the user typically does not know whether theselected Wi-Fi network will provide adequate quality of service or evenif the network will be able to provide an IP address via Dynamic HostConfiguration Protocol (DHCP).

Wi-Fi networks, in homes, business and Hotspots can be identified by ahuman readable name (e.g., the SSID identifier). An example of an SSIDidentifier might be “My Home Network,” or “tmobile.” In addition to theSSID identifier, when a secure Wi-Fi network is first connected, varioussecurity parameters may need to be entered to configure either the WEP(Wired Equivalency Privacy), WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access), or othersecurity schemes.

Many Wi-Fi networks are left “open” with no encryption mechanism. Oftenthis is intentionally done by the owner of the Wi-Fi network to enableeasy access without the need for a WEP or WPA network key. However,Wi-Fi networks are also left “open” with no encryption mechanism becausethe owner is either unaware that the network is open or does not knowhow to secure the network. As a result, although the Wi-Fi network is“open,” the network is not being intentionally shared. Such networks arevery convenient for a user of a Wi-Fi enabled device, however, the usermay not know that they do not have permission to use an otherwise opennetwork.

Unfortunately, some countries have instituted laws which make it illegalto access a wireless network that is not purposefully shared. As aresult, users may be unaware that an “open” network is not shared and,as a result, unintentionally commit a criminal act by accessing thenetwork.

Further, today, there are a large number of access locations that are anaggregation of free and open networks. In the prior art, there is acombination of two lists including a whitelist and a blacklist Thewhitelist may identify networks that are intentionally shared and theblacklist may include networks where access has been forbidden.Unfortunately, the simplistic blacklist and whitelist approach fails totake into consideration some of the more subtle complexities of therealities in WiFi hotspots. In addition to networks that areintentionally shared, there may be cases where the owner of the networkunintentionally shared the network or might intend to share the networkas long as the mobile device user has explicitly confirmed theiragreement with the terms of use for the network. Further, there may becases where the owner of the network may allow sharing of the networkbut only if the owner can display a message to the user on connection asa form of compensation for providing the access.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Exemplary methods and systems for providing network credentials fornetwork access are described. The exemplary method comprises receiving acredential request from a digital device over a network device,identifying a network record based on at least some information withinthe credential request, retrieving a network credential from a pluralityof network credentials based on the network record, and transmitting acredential request response containing the network credential from theplurality of network credentials to the digital device.

The method may further comprise decrypting the credential request,authenticating the credential request, and encrypting the credentialrequest response. Further, the method may also comprise retrieving anencryption key based on the digital device. The credential request maybe received over a standard protocol of the network device. The standardprotocol may be DNS.

The credential request may comprise a location identifier. The methodmay further comprise receiving a confirmed access response from thedigital device.

An exemplary system for providing network credentials may comprise acredential request module and a credential request response module. Thecredential request module may be configured to receive a credentialrequest from a digital device over a network device. The credentialrequest response module may be configured to identify a network recordbased on at least some information within the credential request,retrieve a network credential from a plurality of network credentialsbased on the network record, and transmit a credential request responsecontaining the network to the digital device.

An exemplary computer readable medium may have embodied thereon aprogram. The program may be executable by a processor for performing amethod for providing network credentials. The method may comprisereceiving a credential request from a digital device over a networkdevice, identifying a network record based on at least some informationwithin the credential request, retrieving a network credential from aplurality of network credentials based on the network record, andtransmitting a credential request response containing the networkcredential from the plurality of network credentials to the digitaldevice.

Systems and methods for selecting a wireless network are disclosed. Insome embodiments, a method comprises receiving a first network deviceidentifier for a first network device and a second network deviceidentifier for a second network device, obtaining a first networkprofile comprising a first attribute, the first network profile based onthe first network device identifier, obtaining a second network profilecomprising a second attribute, the second network profile based on thesecond network device identifier, and selecting either the first networkdevice identifier or the second network device identifier based on anattribute analysis of the first attribute and the second attribute.

In various embodiments, the first network device identifier and thesecond network device identifier are received from a digital device by aserver. The method may further comprise providing a wireless networkselection based on the selection. The method may also further compriseproviding a credential request response based on the selection.

In some embodiments, the network selection identifier comprises thefirst network device identifier. The network selection identifier mayalso comprise a sorted list including the first network deviceidentifier and the second network device identifier wherein the list issorted based on the attribute analysis of the first attribute and thesecond attribute. An attribute may comprise a performance metric, ashared indicator, and a service identifier.

The method may further comprise comparing the first attribute and thesecond attribute to minimum requirements wherein selecting either thefirst network identifier or the second network device identifier is alsobased, at least in part, on the comparison of the attributes to theminimum requirements. The method may also further comprise comparing thefirst attribute and the second attribute to personalized settingswherein selecting either the first network identifier or the secondnetwork device identifier is also based, at least in part, on thecomparison of the attributes to personalized settings. The method mayalso further comprise receiving a user identifier and retrieving thepersonalized settings from a user account based on the user identifier.

In various embodiments, a system comprises a digital device and aserver. The digital device may be coupled to a communication network andconfigured to transmit a first network device identifier for a firstnetwork device and a second network device identifier for a secondnetwork device over the communication network. The server may also becoupled to the communication network and configured to receive the firstnetwork device identifier and the second network device identifier fromthe digital device, to obtain a first network profile comprising a firstattribute, the first network profile based on the first network deviceidentifier, to obtain a second network profile comprising a secondattribute, the second network profile based on the second network deviceidentifier, and to select either the first network device identifier orthe second network device identifier based on an attribute analysis ofthe first attribute and the second attribute.

A computer readable storage medium may be configured to storeinstructions, the instructions comprising a method, the methodcomprising the steps of receiving a first network device identifier fora first network device and a second network device identifier for asecond network device, obtaining a first network profile comprising afirst attribute, the first network profile based on the first networkdevice identifier, obtaining a second network profile comprising asecond attribute, the second network profile based on the second networkdevice identifier, and selecting either the first network deviceidentifier or the second network device identifier based on an attributeanalysis of the first attribute and the second attribute.

Systems and methods for wireless network selection based on attributesstored in a network database are disclosed. In some embodiments, amethod comprises receiving a network identifier associated with awireless network, determining if a network profile associated with thenetwork identifier is stored within a network profile databasecomprising a plurality of network profiles, and if the network profileassociated with the network identifier is stored within the networkprofile database, retrieving the network profile, or if the networkprofile associated with the network identifier is not stored within thenetwork profile database, initiating the network profile, obtaining anattribute associated with the network device identifier, and storing theattribute within the network profile.

The method may further comprise comparing an attribute from within thenetwork profile to personalized settings, determining if the wirelessnetwork associated with the network identifier meets user requirementsbased on the comparison, and providing a credential request responsebased on the determination. The method may also further comprisecomparing an attribute from within the network profile to minimumrequirements, determining if the wireless network associated with thenetwork identifier meets the minimum requirements based on thecomparison, and providing a credential request response based on thedetermination.

In some embodiments, the method may further comprise comparing anattribute from within the network profile to another attribute fromwithin another network profile stored within the network database andproviding a credential request response based on the comparison. Themethod may also further comprise comparing an attribute from within thenetwork profile to minimum requirements, determining if the wirelessnetwork associated with the network identifier meets the minimumrequirements based on the comparison, comparing an attribute from withinthe network profile to another attribute from within another networkprofile stored within the network database, and selecting the wirelessnetwork based, at least in part, on the comparisons.

The network identifier may be received from a digital device by aserver. The network identifier may comprise an SSID identifier and theattribute may comprise a performance metric, a shared indicator, and aservice identifier.

Storing the attribute within the network profile may comprise averagingone or more existing attributes with the obtained attribute and storingthe result in the network profile. In some embodiments, storing theattribute within the network profile may comprise performing analgorithm on one or more existing attributes with the obtained attributeand storing the result in the network profile.

The method may also further comprise updating other network profileswithin the network database by updating a shared indicator within eachnetwork profile that is associated with an identical attribute. Theattribute may be an SSID identifier.

In various embodiments, a system comprises a digital device and a serverin communication with a communication network. The digital device may beconfigured to provide a network identifier associated with a wirelessnetwork over a communication network. The server may be configured toreceive the network identifier, determine if a network profileassociated with the network identifier is stored within a networkprofile database comprising a plurality of network profiles, and if thenetwork profile associated with the network identifier is stored withinthe network profile database, retrieve the network profile, or if thenetwork profile associated with the network identifier is not storedwithin the network profile database, initiate the network profile,obtain an attribute associated with the network device identifier, andstore the attribute within the network profile.

In some embodiments, a computer readable storage medium is configured tostore instructions. The instructions may comprise a method. The methodmay comprise the steps of receiving a network identifier associated witha wireless network, determining if a network profile associated with thenetwork identifier is stored within a network profile databasecomprising a plurality of network profiles, and if the network profileassociated with the network identifier is stored within the networkprofile database, retrieving the network profile, or, if the networkprofile associated with the network identifier is not stored within thenetwork profile database, initiating the network profile, obtaining anattribute associated with the network device identifier, and storing theattribute within the network profile.

Systems and methods for network curation are disclosed. In someembodiments, a method comprises scanning, by a mobile device, an area toidentify a network device for accessing a network, receiving, by themobile device, a network identifier associated with the network device,providing a curation indicator request to a curation server, thecuration indicator request comprising the network identifier, receivinga curation indicator from the curation server, the curation indicatorbeing retrieved, based on the network identifier, from a database of aplurality of curation indicators, the curation indicator associated witha likelihood of intent to publicly share the network by the networkdevice, comparing the curation indicator to an access setting, theaccess setting indicating acceptability of network access based on thelikelihood of intent to publicly share the network by the networkdevice, and accessing the network via the network device based on thecomparison.

The method may further comprise receiving a terms and conditionsindicator indicating that terms and conditions are associated with useof the network device, providing, by the mobile device, a terms andconditions request over the network device to a T&C server, receiving aterms and conditions request response over the network device from theT&C server, displaying terms and conditions associated with the networkdevice, and receiving an indication of acceptance of the terms andconditions from the user, wherein accessing the network via the networkdevice based on the comparison comprises accessing the network via thenetwork device based on the comparison and acceptance of the terms andconditions. The terms and conditions request response may comprise textand a link to a web page associated with terms and conditions.Displaying the terms and conditions on the mobile device may comprisedisplaying at least a portion of the text from the terms and conditionsrequest response, depicting an indication of acceptance to enable theuser to accept terms and conditions associated with the network device,and displaying the terms and conditions associated with the networkdevice. The T&C server may be a curation server.

In various embodiments, providing the curation indicator request andreceiving the curation indicator may comprise providing, by the mobiledevice, a credential request over the network device to a credentialserver, and receiving a credential request response over the networkdevice from the credential server, the credential request responsecomprising the curation indicator and a terms and conditions indicatorindicating that terms and conditions are required to access networkservices provided by the network device, wherein the credential serveris the curation server. The method may further comprise providing, bythe mobile device based on the terms and conditions indicator, a termsand conditions request over the network device to the credential server,receiving terms and conditions request response over the network devicefrom the credential server, displaying terms and conditions associatedwith network services provided by the network device, and receiving anindication of acceptance of the terms and conditions from the user,wherein accessing the network via the network device based on thecomparison comprises accessing the network via the network device basedon the comparison and acceptance of the terms and conditions.

In some embodiments, the curation indicator indicates a likelihood thatthe network is intentionally publicly shared by the network device. Thecuration indicator may indicate a likelihood that the network isunintentionally publicly shared by the network device. The curationindicator may indicate that the likelihood of intent to publicly sharethe network by the network device is unknown.

Providing the curation indicator request and receiving the curationindicator may comprise providing, by the mobile device, a credentialrequest over the network device to a credential server, and receiving acredential request response over the network device from the credentialserver, the credential request response comprising the curationindicator and a message indicator indicating a message associated withnetwork services provided by the network device is available, whereinthe credential server is the curation server. The method may furthercomprise providing, by the mobile device based on the message indicator,a message request over the network device to the credential server,receiving a message request response over the network device from thecredential server, displaying, based on the message request response, anotification of a message associated with an operator of the networkdevice to a user, receiving an indication by the user to access themessage, and displaying the message based on the received indication.

An exemplary system may comprise a scan module, a credential requestmodule, a network character determination module and an access controlmodule. The scan module may be configured to scan an area to identify anetwork device for accessing a network and to receive a networkidentifier associated with the network device. The credential requestmodule may be configured to provide a curation indicator request to acuration server on the network, the curation indicator requestcomprising the network identifier, and to receive a curation indicatorfrom the curation server, the curation indicator being retrieved, basedon the network identifier, from a database of a plurality of curationindicators, the curation indicator associated with a likelihood ofintent to publicly share the network by the network device. The networkcharacter determination module may be configured to compare the curationindicator to an access setting, the access setting indicatingacceptability of network access based on the likelihood of intent topublicly share the network by the network device. The access controlmodule may be configured to access the network via the network devicebased on the comparison.

An exemplary computer readable storage medium may be configured to storeinstructions. The instructions may comprise a method. The method maycomprise the steps of scanning, by a mobile device, an area to identifya network device for accessing a network, receiving, by the mobiledevice, a network identifier associated with the network device,retrieving, based on the network identifier, a curation indicator from adatabase of a plurality of curation indicators, the curation indicatorassociated with a likelihood of intent to publicly share the network bythe network device, comparing the curation indicator to an accesssetting, the access setting indicating acceptability of network accessbased on the likelihood of intent to publicly share the network by thenetwork device, and accessing the network via the network device basedon the comparison.

An exemplary method may comprise receiving an indication of messageassociated with a network device, the indication of the message beingprovided by a message server, providing, by the mobile device, based onthe indication, a message request over the network device to the messageserver, receiving a message request response over the network devicefrom the credential server, displaying, based on the message requestresponse, a notification of a message associated with the network deviceto a user, receiving an indication by the user to access the messageassociated with the network services provided by the network device to auser, and displaying the message associated with the network services.

The method may further comprise providing, by the mobile device, amessage indicator request over an open port of the network device to themessage server, the mobile device providing the message indicatorrequest without logging onto the network device, wherein the indicationof the message is received over the network device from the messageserver. Providing, by the mobile device, based on the indication, themessage request over the network device to the message server maycomprise providing, by the mobile device, based on the messageindicator, a message request over the network device to the messageserver, the mobile device providing the message request without loggingonto the network device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an environment in which embodiments of thepresent invention may be practiced.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary credential server.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an exemplary process for providing networkaccess to the digital device.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary credential request.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary credential request response.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of the exemplary method for providing networkcredentials.

FIG. 7 is another flow diagram of the exemplary method for providingnetwork credentials.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method for receiving andstoring network credentials.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an exemplary credential server.

FIG. 10 is a diagram of another environment in which embodiments of thepresent invention may be practiced.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of an exemplary process for providing aselection of a wireless network.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram of an exemplary process for selecting awireless network.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for selecting a wireless network and accessing theselected wireless network.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of an exemplary process for updating and storingattributes associated with wireless networks within a network database.

FIG. 15 is another flowchart of an exemplary process for updating andstoring attributes associated with wireless networks within a networkdatabase.

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram of an exemplary process of using a networkdatabase in selecting a wireless network.

FIG. 17 depicts an exemplary environment in which some embodiments maybe practiced.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram of an exemplary credential server in someembodiments.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram of a mobile device in some embodiments.

FIG. 20 is a flow chart depicting a method for providing a curationindicator, terms and conditions identifier, and a message identifierassociated with a network device in some embodiments.

FIG. 21 is a flow chart depicting a method for determining to access anetwork device based on a curation indicator, displaying terms andconditions, and displaying a message associated with a network device insome embodiments.

FIG. 22 is a continued flow chart from FIG. 21 depicting a method fordetermining to access a network device based on a curation indicator,displaying terms and conditions, and displaying a message associatedwith a network device in some embodiments.

FIG. 23 is a flow chart depicting another method of obtaining anddisplaying messages associated with a network device in someembodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods forproviding network credentials. In exemplary embodiments, a credentialserver receives a request for network credentials from a digital deviceat a hotspot. The request may be formatted as a standard protocol whichis relayed from the hotspot to the credential server. The credentialserver may identify a network record based on at least some informationcontained within the request and transmit network credentials associatedwith the network record to the digital device. The digital device mayreceive the network credentials and provide them to network device inorder to obtain network access.

In various embodiments, a rules server may identify a preferred networkfrom a plurality of available networks that the digital device mayconnect based on a variety of network attributes. In one example, adigital device may scan a physical region for available networks andgenerate a list of available wireless networks. The list may be providedto a rules server which identifies and retrieves a network profile foreach wireless network on the list. The rules server may then compareeach network profile (e.g., via attributes contained within eachprofile) to select a preferred network from the list. The rules servermay then transmit the wireless network selection to the digital devicewhich may then access the network.

In some embodiments, the digital device accesses the selected wirelessnetwork using credentials provided by the credential server. In oneexample, when the rules server selects the preferred wireless network,the rules server (or another server in communication with the rulesserver) may simultaneously (or nearly simultaneously) provide acredential request response including network credentials associatedwith the selected wireless network.

FIG. 1 illustrates a diagram of an environment 100 in which embodimentsof the present invention may be practiced. In exemplary embodiments, auser with a digital device 102 enters a hotspot. The digital device 102may automatically transmit a credential request as a standard protocolover a network device 104. The credential request may be forwarded to acredential server 116 which, based on the information contained withinthe credential request, transmits a credential request response back tothe digital device 102. The credential request response contains networkcredentials which the digital device 102 may provide to the networkdevice 104, the authentication server 108, or the access controller 112to obtain access to the communication network 114.

In various embodiments, a hotspot comprises the network device 104, theauthentication server 108, the DNS server 110, and the access controller112 which are coupled to the local area network 106 (e.g., a “walledgarden”). The network device 104 may comprise an access point whichallows the digital device 102 to communicate with the authenticationserver 108, the DNS server 110, and the access controller 112 over thelocal area network 106. The digital device 102 may comprise a laptop,mobile phone, camera, personal digital assistant, or any other computingdevice. The authentication server 108 is a server that requires networkcredentials from the digital device 102 before allowing the digitaldevice 102 access the communication network 114. The DNS server 110provides DNS services over the local area network 106 and may relayrequests to other DNS servers (not shown) across the communicationnetwork 114. The access controller 112 is an access device such as arouter or bridge that can allow communication between devicesoperationally coupled to the network device 104 with devices coupled tothe communication network 114.

Although the hotspot in FIG. 1 depicts separate servers coupled to thelocal area network 106, those skilled in the art will appreciate thatthere may be any number of devices (e.g., servers, digital devices,access controllers, and network devices) coupled to the local areanetwork 106. In some embodiments, the local area network 106 isoptional. In one example, the authentication server 108, the DNS server110, and the access controller 112 are coupled directly to the networkdevice 104. In various embodiments, the authentication server 108, theDNS server 110, and the access controller 112 may be combined within oneor more servers or one or more digital devices. Further, although FIG. 1depicts wireless access, the digital device 102 may be coupled to thenetwork device 104 wirelessly or over wires (e.g., such as 10baseT).

In order to access the communication network 114, the authenticationserver 108 may require the digital device 102 to provide one or morenetwork credentials for access to the hotspot. The network credentialmay comprise, for example, a username and password for an accountassociated with the hotspot. In alternative embodiments, networkcredentials other than a user name and password may be utilized.

According to exemplary embodiments, the digital device 102 maydynamically acquire the network credentials from the credential server116. The digital device 102 may send a credential request comprising anidentity of the digital device 102 (or the user of the digital device102) and details about the network device 104 (e.g., name of the networkdevice 104 or Wi-Fi service provider) to the credential server 116.

In one example, when the digital device 102 enters the hotspot, thenetwork device 104 may provide an IP address to which DNS queries may besubmitted, for example, via DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol).The credential request may be formatted as a standard protocol. In anexample, the credential request may be formatted as a DNS request. Thecredential request may be a text record request (e.g., TXT), whichcomprises a standard record type such that the network infrastructure(e.g., the access controller 112) will not block the request. Moredetails regarding the process for acquiring network credentials areprovided in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/899,697,entitled “System and Method for Acquiring Network Credentials,” filedSep. 6, 2007, and incorporated by reference herein.

In some embodiments, the credential request is received by the DNSserver 110 which may forward the credential request to the credentialserver 116 for the network credential. In exemplary embodiments, thecredential server 116 may perform a lookup to determine the propernetwork credential(s) to send back to the DNS server 110 which forwardsthe network credential back to the requesting digital device 102. Invarious embodiments, the proper network credential(s) are sent from thecredential server 116 to the digital device 102 over the same path asthe transmission of the credential request.

Although only one DNS server 110 is depicted within FIG. 1, thecredential request may be forwarded through any number of servers,including but not limited to DNS servers, prior to being received by thecredential server 116. In other embodiments, the credential request isforwarded directly from the network device 104 to the credential server116.

In some embodiments, a credential request response from the credentialserver 116 may comprise the username, password, and/or login procedureinformation. The login procedural information may comprise, for example,HTML form element names, a submission URL, or a submission protocol. Insome embodiments, the network credential response may be encrypted bythe credential server 116 using an encryption key associated with thedigital device 102 prior to transmission back to the digital device 102.

Once the digital device 102 receives the network credential response,the digital device 102 may submit the network credential (retrieved fromthe network credential response) to the network device 104 in anauthentication response. In exemplary embodiments, the authenticationresponse may be forwarded to an authentication server 108 forverification. In some embodiments, the authentication server 108 maycomprise an AAA server or RADIUS server. More details regarding theprocess for obtaining network access are provided in co-pending U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/899,638, entitled “System and Method forObtaining Network Access,” filed Sep. 6, 2007, and incorporated byreference herein.

It should be noted that FIG. 1 is exemplary. Alternative embodiments maycomprise more, less, or functionally equivalent components and still bewithin the scope of present embodiments. For example, as previouslydiscussed, the functions of the various servers (e.g., DNS server 110,credential server 116, and authentication server 108) may be combinedinto one or two servers. That if, for example, the authentication server108 and the DNS server 110 may comprise the same server, or thefunctionality of the authentication server 108, the DNS server 110, andthe access controller 112 may be combined into a single device.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary credential server 116. Thecredential server 116 comprises an authentication module 200, a networkmodule 202, a credential request module 204, a credential requestresponse module 206, an encryption/decryption module 208, a networkrecord storage 210, and an encryption key storage 212. A module maycomprise, individually or in combination, software, hardware, firmware,or circuitry.

The authentication module 200 may be configured to authenticate thecredential request and provide security to the credential requestresponse. In various embodiments, the digital device 102 may encrypt ordigitally sign the credential request using an encryption key (e.g., ashared encryption key or an encryption key that is a part of a keypair). The authentication module 200 may authenticate the credentialrequest by decrypting the credential request with the proper encryptionkey retrieved from the encryption key storage 212. In one example, thedigital device 102 generates a hash of the credential request and storesthe hash within an encrypted portion of the credential request. Theauthentication module 200 may decrypt the credential request, generatehash of the credential request response, and compare the generated hashto the hash contained within the credential request for authentication.

In other embodiments, the digital device 102 may generate a nonce (i.e.,a random value) and store the nonce within a portion of the credentialrequest that is digitally signed. The authentication module 200 maydecrypt the digital signature to authenticate the credential request andretrieve the nonce. In various embodiments, when the credential requestresponse module 206 generates the credential request response (describedhereafter), the authentication module 200 may include the nonce withinthe credential request response. The authentication module 200 or theencryption/decryption module 208 may then encrypt the credential requestresponse. When the digital device 102 decrypts the credential requestresponse, the digital device 102 may retrieve the nonce from thecredential request response and compare the nonce to the nonce that wastransmitted within the credential request for further authentication.

The network module 202 may be configured to receive the credentialrequest and transmit the credential request response over thecommunication network 114.

The credential request module 204 may receive the credential requestfrom the network module 202. The credential request may be a standardprotocol. In one example, the credential request is a UDP protocol(e.g., DNS).

In exemplary embodiments, the credential request module 204 may retrievethe DDID and the SSID from the credential request. The DDID may identifythe digital device 102, the user of the digital device 102, and/or theuser associated with a network record. The SSID may identify the hotspotor the service provider (i.e., operator) of the hotspot.

The credential request module 204 or the credential request responsemodule 206 may identify a network record based on the DDID and the SSID.A network record is a record associated (either directly or indirectly(e.g., a relational database)) with the DDID and the SSID. In oneexample, a network record contains network credentials necessary toprovide network access to a digital device 102 associated with the DDIDat the hotspot associated with the SSID. Network records may be storedwithin the network record storage 210.

The credential request response module 206 may generate the credentialrequest response. In various embodiments, the credential requestresponse module 206 receives the network credential associated with theDDID and SSID from the network record. In some embodiments, the networkcredential may comprise a credit card number. In one example, thedigital device 102 receives the network credential, retrieves the creditcard number, and provides the credit card number to the authenticationserver 108. In some examples, the authentication server 108 may thencharge a fee to a credit card associated with the credit card number oruse the information to confirm the identity of the user prior togranting network access.

Further, in various embodiments, the network credentials may compriselogin procedural information. In one example, the credentials include ausername and password which are to be provided within a form (e.g., anauthentication form) retrieved from the authentication server 108 by thedigital device 102. In some embodiments, the login proceduralinformation may instruct the digital device 102 to populate specificfields within the form with the network credentials before submittingthe completed form to the authentication server 108. Those skilled inthe art will appreciate that there are many ways to provide credentialsto the authentication server 108. The process of providing thecredentials to the authentication server is further discussed inco-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/899,638, entitled “Systemand Method for Obtaining Network Credentials,” filed Sep. 6, 2007.

The credential request response module 206 or the encryption/decryptionmodule 208 may encrypt the credential request response with anencryption key associated with the DDID or the credential request. Inone example, the credential server 116 stores one or more sharedencryption keys. Each shared encryption key may be shared by at leastone digital device 102. The credential request response module 206 mayencrypt the credential request response with the shared encryption keyassociated with the digital device 102 (e.g., the shared encryption keymay be associated with the DDID). The credential request response module206 or the encryption/decryption module 208 may also encrypt thecredential request with an encryption key that is part of a key pair.There may be many ways in which the encryption/decryption module 208encrypts the credential request.

The encryption/decryption module 208 may decrypt the credential requestand encrypt the credential request response. As previously discussed,the encryption/decryption module 208 may decrypt the digital signatureof the credential request. In one example, the encryption/decryptionmodule 208 decrypts the digital signature based on an encryption keythat is associated with the DDID contained within the credentialrequest. The encryption/decryption module 208 may also encrypt thecredential request response. In one example, the encryption/decryptionmodule 208 encrypts the credential request response based on anencryption key associated with the DDID (e.g., a shared encryption keyor an encryption key that is part of a key pair).

In various embodiments, the encryption/decryption module 208 may encryptthe network records contained within the network record storage 210 andmanage the encryption key storage 212. The encryption/decryption module208 may also establish secure communications (e.g., via SSL and HTTPS)with a digital device when storing network credentials. This process isfurther described in FIG. 7. In accordance with some embodiments, theencryption/decryption module 208 may be optional.

The network record storage 210 and the encryption key storage 212 maystore network records and encryption keys, respectively. The networkrecord storage 210 and the encryption key storage 212 may comprise oneor more databases. In one example, the network record storage 210 maystore network records. A network record may comprise a DDID, SSID, andnetwork credentials. The network record may also comprise a username andpassword for the user to access, alter, update, or store network recordswithin the credential server 116.

In various embodiments, the network record may also allow multipledigital devices 102 to use the same network credentials. In one example,the user may own multiple digital devices 102. Multiple DDIDs, each DDIDassociated with a different digital device 102, may be included in thesame network record. In some embodiments, multiple devices may beassociated with one or more network records, and the one or more networkrecords are associated with a user. As a result, the user may retrievethe network credentials for a hotspot using any number of digitaldevices 102. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there aremany ways in which the network records and/or the information containedtherein may be stored and organized (e.g., different data structures,databases, records, organizing schemes, and/or methodologies).

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an exemplary process for providing networkaccess to the digital device 102. When the digital device 102 firstenters into a hotspot, the digital device 102 may scan for the localarea network 106 in step 300. As a result of the scan, the networkdevice 104 may provide network configuration information in step 302.The network configuration information may comprise one or more IPaddresses for access to the DNS server 110.

In step 304, a credential request is generated by the digital device102. Subsequently, the credential request may be sent to the DNS server110 in step 306 using one of the IP addresses previously received fromthe network device 104.

Based on the credential request, the credential server 116 is identifiedby the DNS server 110 in step 308. In other embodiments, the DNS server110 forwards the credential request to the credential server 116. Whenthe DNS server 110 is unable to locally resolve the DNS request, thecredential request is forwarded to another DNS server on thecommunication network 114 (e.g., over port 53) which may then forwardthe credential request to the credential server 116. The credentialrequest is forwarded, either directly or indirectly through one or moreother DNS servers on the communication network 114, to the credentialserver 116 in step 310.

The credential server 116 identifies the network credential needed basedon the credential request in step 312. For example, the credentialrequest may comprise an identifier (i.e., the DDID) for the digitaldevice 102 as well as an identifier for the hotspot SSID (e.g., theservice provider such as an operator). The identifiers may be comparedagainst a table (e.g., network record) of such identifiers by thecredential request module 204 or the credential request response module206 to determine the proper network credential. A credential requestresponse is then generated by the credential request response module 206in step 314 and relayed back to the DNS server 110 in step 316. The DNSserver 110 forwards the credential request response back to the digitaldevice in step 318.

The digital device 102 may then retrieve the network credentials fromthe credential request response in step 320. The network credential maythen be provided to the network device 104 in step 322. Upon verifyingthe network credentials, the network device 104 provides network accessto the digital device 102 in step 324.

Referring now to FIG. 4, an exemplary credential request 400 is shown inmore detail. According to exemplary embodiments, the credential requestmodule 204 may generate the credential request 400. In one embodiment,the credential request 400 may be a DNS string having a structure thatcomprises a location identifier 402, a sequence identifier 404, asignature 406, the DDID 408, a service set identifier (SSID) 410, and aversion identifier 412.

The optional location identifier 402 may indicate a physical orgeographic location of the digital device 102, the network device 104,the authentication server 108, or the access controller 112. In variousembodiments, the location identifier 402 may be used by the credentialserver 116 to track the usage of hotspots, users of the digital device102, as well as the digital device 102.

The sequence identifier 404 may comprise any number or set of numbersused to correspond to a subsequent request to the credential server 116to determine if the login is successful. That is, the sequenceidentifier 404 provides a correlation mechanism by which verification ofthe login process may be made by the credential server 116.

In exemplary embodiments, the signature 406 comprises a cryptographicsignature (i.e., digital signature) that is utilized to preventspoofing. The signature 406 of the request from digital device 102 isverified by the credential server 116. If the signature 406 is notvalid, then the request is rejected by the credential server 116.

The DDID 408 comprises an identifier of the digital device 102. Forexample, the DDID 408 may comprise a MAC address or any other identifierof the digital device 102.

The SSID 410 comprises an identifier of the network access point orWi-Fi service provider. For example, the SSID 410 may comprise the nameof the service provider or the name of the venue operating the networkdevice 104.

The version identifier 412 may identify the protocol or format of thecredential request 400. For example, a digital device 102 may generatethe credential request 400 and organize the data in a number ofdifferent formats. Each different format may be associated with adifferent version identifier. In some embodiments, the components of thecredential request response module 206 may be updated, reconfigured, oraltered over time, which may affect the structure of the credentialrequest 400. As a result, the credential server 116 may receive aplurality of credential requests 400 which are formatted differently.The credential server 116 may access the required information from eachcredential request based on the respective version identifier.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary credential request response.According to exemplary embodiments, the credential request responsemodule 206 may generate the credential request response 500. In oneembodiment, the credential request response 500 may comprise encryptedtext 502. The encrypted text may comprise an optional nonce 504 andcredential information 506. The credential information may comprisekey/value pairs 508 through 510.

As previously discussed, the credential request response may beformatted as a DNS response comprising encrypted text 502. The encryptedtext 502 includes the network credentials (e.g., username, password, andlogin procedure information). Although the credential request response500 is depicted as including encrypted text 502, the text within thecredential request response 500 need not be encrypted.

The encrypted text 502 may comprise the nonce. The nonce, as previouslydiscussed, may be retrieved from the credential request. Once thecredential request response 500 is received by the digital device 102,the digital device 102 may compare the nonce within the credentialrequest response 500 to the nonce transmitted within the credentialrequest for authentication. Although the nonce is depicted as within thecredential request response 500 in FIG. 5, the nonce is optional.

The credential information 506 may comprise a username, password, loginprocedure information, or a combination of these. The credentialinformation 506 may comprise key/value pairs 508 through 510. Any numberof key/value pairs may be within the credential information 506. Thekey/value pairs may represent the credential information to be receivedand translated by the digital device 102. The credential information 506is depicted as key/value pairs for exemplary purposes only; thecredential information may be within any format not necessarily limitedto key/value pairs.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of the exemplary method for providing networkcredentials. In step 602, the credential server 116 receives thecredential request from the digital device 102.

In various embodiments, the credential server 116 decrypts andauthenticates the digital signature with an encryption key. Thecredential server 116 may then identify a network record based on theDDID and the SSID contained within the network record in step 604. Inone example, the credential request response module 206 retrieves one ormore network records associated with the DDID within the credentialrequest. The credential request response module 206 then identifies atleast one network credential associated with the SSID within theretrieved network record(s).

In step 606, the credential request response module 206 retrieves theidentified network credential(s) from the selected network record. Inone example, the credential request response module 206 identifies ausername and password that the user of the digital device 102 mustprovide to the authentication server 108 to obtain network access. Thecredential request response module 206 generates the credential requestresponse comprising the network credentials (e.g., username, password)to the digital device 102 in step 608.

In some embodiments, the credential request response module 206 mayidentify login procedural information as part of the networkcredentials. The credential request response module 206 may retrieve thelogin procedural information from the network record (e.g., the samenetwork record containing a password associated with the SSID). Thelogin procedural information may contain a form identifier andinstructions (e.g., parameters) for the digital device 102 to follow toobtain network access. In one example, the digital device 102 retrievesthe form identifier and instructions from the network credential withinthe credential request response. The digital device 102 may identifyforms received from the authentication server 108 and input data basedon the form identifier and instructions. In another example, the digitaldevice 102 provides information to the authentication server 108 toobtain network access based on the login procedural information includedwithin the credential request response. The process of providinginformation to the authentication server 108 is further described inU.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/899,638 entitled “Systems andMethods for Obtaining Network Access”, filed Sep. 6, 2007.

FIG. 7 is another flow diagram of the exemplary method for providingnetwork credentials. The digital device 102 may search and find anavailable wireless network via the network device 104. While connectingto the hotspot, the digital device 102 may receive network configurationinformation in step 702. Network configuration information may comprisean identifier for the network device 104, or the DNS server 110. In oneexample, the digital device 102 receives a DNS server IP address (e.g.,for the DNS server 110) during the connection process.

In step 704, the digital device 102 generates the credential request.The credential request may comprise a sequence identifier, DDID, andSSID. In step 706, the digital device 102 optionally generates a nonceand digitally signs the credential request with an encryption key. Thedigital device 102 transmits the credential request as a standardprotocol in step 708. The network device 104 may receive and forward thecredential request to the communication network 114. In variousembodiments, the network device 104 may provide the credential requestto the DNS server 110 which may forward the credential request to thecredential server 116.

In exemplary embodiments, the credential request module 204 of thecredential server 116 receives the credential request. The credentialrequest module 204 may retrieve an encryption key associated with theDDID within the credential server from the encryption key storage 212.The credential request module 204 may then decrypt the digital signatureof the credential request for authentication. The credential requestmodule 204 may further retrieve the nonce and a sequence identifier fromthe credential request.

The credential request response module 206 of the credential server 116may then retrieve a network record associated with the DDID and the SSIDfrom the network record storage 210. The credential request responsemodule 206 retrieves network credentials from the network record andgenerates the credential request response. The credential requestresponse may comprise the network credentials and the nonce. Theencryption/decryption module 208 may encrypt the credential requestresponse with an encryption key associated with the DDID retrieved fromthe encryption key storage 212. In some embodiments, the credentialrequest response is formatted as a standard protocol (e.g., DNS).

In step 710, the digital device 102 receives the credential requestresponse. The digital device 102 subsequently authenticates thecredential request response in step 712. In one example, the digitaldevice 102 decrypts the credential request response with the sameencryption key used to digitally sign the credential request. Thedigital device 102 may further retrieve the nonce within the credentialrequest response and compare the nonce to the nonce transmitted withinthe credential request for further authentication. If the credentialrequest response is found to be authentic, the digital device 102retrieves the network credentials from the credential request responsein step 714.

In step 716, the digital device 102 identifies the authenticationrequirements associated with network access. In various embodiments, thedigital device 102 determines the correct information and networkcredentials to provide to the authentication server 108. In one example,the digital device 102 retrieves one or more network access pages fromthe authentication server 108. The digital device 102 may access thecorrect network access page from the authentication server andautomatically make selections. In one example, the digital device 102may automatically activate selections (e.g., activate buttons within thenetwork access page, check boxes, and select radio buttons).

For example, the credential request response module 206 may provideinstructions to the digital device 102 for the automatic selectionswithin a network access page. As discussed herein, a network access pagemay comprise one or more web pages, one or more tags, or a combinationof both retrieved from the authentication server 108. In one example,software within the digital device 102 may automatically check allselection boxes within a network access page. The digital device 102 maythen uncheck select boxes based on the login procedure information.Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there may be many methodswith which selections may automatically be made. In other embodiments,the digital device 102 receives XML tags from the authentication server108. The digital device 102 may provide information based on the XMLtags and instructions within the login procedural information to theauthentication server 108 to obtain network access.

In step 718, the digital device 102 provides the network credential tothe network device 104 to obtain network access to the communicationnetwork 114. In one example, the credential request response module 206retrieves one or more forms from the authentication server 108,populates the forms with one or more network credentials, and providesthe completed forms to the authentication server 108. In anotherexample, the credential request response module 206 provides the networkcredentials as needed to the authentication server 108. Once the networkcredentials are received by the authentication server 108, theauthentication server 108 may allow communication between the digitaldevice 102 and the communication network 114. In one example, theauthentication server 108 commands the access controller 112 to allowthe digital device 102 access to the communication network 114.

The digital device 102 may subsequently test network connectivity toconfirm network access. In one example, the digital device 102 transmitsa request to the credential server 116 to determine if the communicationnetwork 114 is available. In some embodiments, the query or commandcontains the sequence identifier previously submitted within thecredential request. If network access is successful, the credentialserver 116 may receive the request and retrieve the sequence identifier.The credential server 116 may then confirm that network access wassuccessful.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method for receiving andstoring network credentials. In various embodiments, users may createand store network records within the credential server 116. For example,the credential server 116 may comprise a credential storage module (notdepicted) that provides a graphical user interface (GUI) that allowsusers to create, store, update, remove, and modify network records.

In step 802, the credential server 116 provides the user with a networkcredential request form. In one example, the credential server 116provides the network credential request form to a user as one or moreweb pages over the Internet. The network credential request form isconfigured to receive the service provider's name (e.g., operator'sname) and/or SSID and network credentials.

The service provider's name may comprise the name of the entity thatoperates the hotspot, one or more components related to the hotspot(e.g., the network device 104), or the infrastructure of the local areanetwork 106. In some embodiments, the service provider's name comprisesthe name of an organization that manages one or more hotspots foranother service provider. In one example, a coffee shop and bookstoremay both use a third-party manager to manage the hotspots, even if thehotspots have different service providers. In some embodiments, thenetwork credential request form may be configured to receive thethird-party manager's name. In some embodiments, the service provider'sname comprises the name of an organization that resells access to ahotspot network (e.g., an aggregator).

The network credential request form may also receive the SSID as anetwork service selection. In one example, the network credentialrequest form comprises a pull down menu of different service providersand/or hotspots that the user may select. For example, a user may select“Starbucks” or “San Francisco International Airport” as a hotspot. Theuser may be given further options to such as geographic locations of thehotspot. The user may also select the service provider. For example, theuser may select “T-Mobile” as a service provider. The network credentialrequest form may then allow the user to select among one or more varioushotspots associated with T-mobile. The selection(s) may then be storedas a network record. Alternately, a network service identifierassociated with the selection(s) is generated as the SSID.

Further, the network credential request form may receive the networkcredential from the user. For example, the user may enter a username,password, passcode as network credentials within the network credentialrequest form. In some embodiments, after the network credential requestform receives the SSID, the network credential request form determinesthe type of network credentials required. For example, the networkcredential request form identifies the information required to access anetwork at a hotspot at the San Francisco International Airportpreviously selected by the user. The network credential request formthen generates fields or selections to allow the user to enter only theinformation necessary (e.g., username, password) to obtain networkaccess at the hotspot.

The credential server 116 may also require the user to register prior toreceiving the network credential request form. During registration, theuser may be required to agree to terms of service and enter customerinformation. Customer information comprises a username and a password toaccess the credential server 116 to store network credentials.Optionally, the customer information may comprise the user's address,contact information, and payment options for the user to use servicesoffered by the credential server 116.

In step 804, the credential server 116 receives the customer informationand network service selections over the network credential request form.In step 806, the credential server may retrieve the network credential.In step 808 the credential server 116 receives the customer information.The credential server 116 associates the network credential with thecustomer information, network service selection and networkcredential(s) in step 810 to create a network record. The network recordis then stored in step 812.

In some embodiments, the user may manually access the credential server116 via the Internet. In other embodiments, the user may download andinstall network credential software on the digital device 102. Thenetwork credential software may identify and send the DDID of thedigital device 102 to the credential server 116. In other embodiments,the network credential software may be pre-installed on the digitaldevice 102. When the digital device 102 first activates the networkcredential software, the network credential software may identify andsend the DDID of the digital device 102 to the credential server.

The user may input the SSID (e.g., identify the service provider orhotspots) into the network credential software. The user may also inputthe network credentials within the network credential software. Afterthe network credential software has obtained the DDID, SSID, and networkcredentials, the network credential software may upload the informationto the credential server 116 which stores the information within anetwork record. In various embodiments, the network credential softwaremay be downloaded from the credential server 116.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an exemplary digital device. The credentialserver 116 comprises a processor 900, a memory system 902, a storagesystem 904, an I/O interface 906, a communication network interface 908,and a display interface 910. The processor 900 is configured to executeexecutable instructions (e.g., programs). In some embodiments, theprocessor 900 comprises circuitry or any processor capable of processingthe executable instructions.

The memory system 902 is any memory configured to store data. Someexamples of the memory system 902 are storage devices, such as RAM orROM. The memory system 902 can comprise the ram cache. In variousembodiments, data is stored within the memory system 902. The datawithin the memory system 902 may be cleared or ultimately transferred tothe storage system 904.

The storage system 904 is any storage configured to retrieve and storedata. Some examples of the storage system 904 are flash drives, harddrives, optical drives, and/or magnetic tape. In some embodiments, thecredential server 116 includes a memory system 902 in the form of RAMand a storage system 904 in the form of flash data. Both the memorysystem 902 and the storage system 904 comprise computer readable mediawhich may store instructions or programs that are executable by acomputer processor including the processor 900.

The optional input/output (I/O) interface 906 is any device thatreceives input from the user and output data. The optional displayinterface 910 is any device that is configured to output graphics anddata to a display. In one example, the display interface 910 is agraphics adapter. It will be appreciated that not all digital devices102 comprise either the I/O interface 906 or the display interface 910.

The communication network interface (com. network interface) 908 can becoupled to a network (e.g., the local area network 106 and communicationnetwork 114) via the link 912. The communication network interface 908may support communication over an Ethernet connection, a serialconnection, a parallel connection, or an ATA connection, for example.The communication network interface 908 may also support wirelesscommunication (e.g., 802.11 a/b/g/n, WiMax). It will be apparent tothose skilled in the art that the communication network interface 908can support many wired and wireless standards.

In various embodiments, systems and methods are described that enable adigital device to automatically select and access an available wirelessnetwork from a plurality of available wireless networks based on rulesto achieve a satisfactory quality of service. Such rules could beimplemented in the digital device itself, on a server in communicationwith the digital device, or a combination of both. In variousembodiments, a wireless network is a network that allows wireless accessbetween a digital device and a communication network such as theInternet.

In accordance with some embodiments, a user of a wireless digital device(e.g., digital device capable of Wi-Fi communication) creates an accounton a web server and registers one or more digital devices (e.g.,computers, laptops, personal digital assistants, and cell phones) withthat account. The registered digital devices can be managed and anetwork record provisioned by a central server (e.g., a profile serveror a credential server) via a network communication mechanism, such asHTTP.

FIG. 10 is a diagram of another environment in which embodiments of thepresent invention may be practiced. In various embodiments, a user witha digital device 1002 enters an area located near the network devices1004 and 1006. In one example, the network devices 1004 and 1006 areseparate access points which may each be used to establish communicationbetween the digital device 1002 and the communication network 1008.

The digital device 1002 may scan the area surrounding the digital device1002, detect the two network devices 1004 and 1006, and generate a listof available wireless networks with which the digital device 1002 mayestablish communication. In some embodiments, the list of availablewireless networks comprises DDID, SSID, and/or BSID identifiers of thenetwork devices 1004 and 1006.

Subsequently, the digital device 1002 provides the list of availablewireless networks to a rules server 1010. In one example, the digitaldevice 1002 provides the list of available wireless networks as astandard protocol over an open port of either the network device 1004 orthe network device 1006 to the communication network 1008 and,ultimately, to the rules server 1010. In another example, the digitaldevice 1002 provides the list of available wireless networks overanother network such as a cellular communication network (e.g., viaCDMA, GSM, 3G, or EVDO) or other wireless network (e.g., Wi-Fi, Wimax,or LTE network) not depicted.

The rules server 1010 receives the list of available wireless networksand may retrieve a network profile for each wireless network identifiedwithin the list. A network profile is a record that is associated with awireless network and comprises attributes concerning performance and/orquality of service provided by the associated network. In one example,the rules server 1010 identifies each network within the list andprovides the SSID and/or BSID for each network to the profile server1014. The profile server 1014 may then provide a network profile (basedon the SSID and/or BSID) for each network to the rules server 1010. Insome embodiments, the profile server 1014 retrieves the network profilefrom a database or other server (e.g., network database server 1012).

The rules server 1010 may select a preferred wireless network from thelist of available wireless networks based on attributes within thenetwork profiles and/or any attributes received from the digital device1002. An attribute is a characteristic of a wireless network. In variousembodiments, an attribute includes a performance metric, a sharedindicator, or a service identifier. A performance metric of a wirelessnetwork is any measure of network performance. In some examples, aperformance metric may comprise a latency metric, a bandwidth metric, ora quality of service (QOS) metric. Those skilled in the art willappreciate that a performance metric may include any type of metric thatrepresents performance of a wireless network.

A latency metric is a measurement that represents time to send a packetof data from the digital device to a server on a network. In someembodiments, the digital device 1002 may send an ICMP “echo request”packet to a server and listen for an ICMP “echo response” reply. Thelatency metric may comprise an estimate of the round-trip time(generally in milliseconds) and/or include any packet loss. In anotherexample, the latency metric is half of the estimated round-trip time.

A bandwidth metric is a measurement of the available bandwidth of awireless network. In one example, the digital device may test availablebandwidth by sending a block of data over the wireless network to aserver and timing the response.

A QOS metric is any metric that measures the quality of service of thewireless network, the access device 1004, the access device 1006, and/orthe communication network 1008. In one example, the QOS metricrepresents a reliability of the DHCP which is determined by timing thelength of time required to get an IP address. The reliability of theDHCP may comprise a statistical measurement, a probability of receivingan IP address at all, and/or a distribution of time.

A shared indicator indicates if a wireless network is shared. In someembodiments, the shared indicator may be one of three states including“shared,” “not shared,” and “unknown”. Although the shared indicator mayonly include a single state (e.g., “not shared”), those skilled in theart will appreciate that the shared indicator can have any number ofstates. A wireless network with a shared indicator that indicates thatthe network is “shared” may indicate that the owner of the wirelessnetwork intends for others to use the network. One example of a “shared”network may include a wireless network which is intentionally “open”(e.g., unencrypted) for others to use.

A wireless network with a shared indicator that indicates that thenetwork is “not shared” may indicate that the owner of the wirelessnetwork does not desire anyone who does not have express permission toaccess the network. In one example, wireless networks that are notshared are often intentionally encrypted (e.g., through WEP or WPA) soas to limit access to unauthorized users. Not all networks that are “notshared,” however, are encrypted. For example, the owner of the networkmay misconfigure the network device or, through error, allows a networkto be open (i.e., unencrypted) even though the network is not intendedto be shared.

A wireless network with a shared indicator that indicates that thenetwork is “unknown” may indicate that the wireless network may eitherbe “shared’ or “not shared.” For example, the intent of the owner of anopen network may not be known.

A service identifier may identify one or more services supported by thewireless network. In one example, one or more service identifiersindicate that a wireless network supports VOIP, teleconferencing, and/orvideo conferencing. The service identifier may identify any kind ofservice supported by the wireless network. In some embodiments, theservice identifier may identify services that are not supported by thewireless network.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the network profile maycomprise any number of attributes. Further, those skilled in the artwill appreciate that the network profile may comprise only one or moreperformance metrics, only one shared indicator, or only one or moreservice identifiers.

In various embodiments, the rules server 1010 selects one or morewireless networks from the list of available wireless networks based onthe attribute analysis. In one example, the rules server 1010 appliesrules to the attributes. The rules may comprise minimum requirements,personalized settings, and attribute comparisons. In one example, therules applied by the rules server 1010 may compare the attributes of oneor more wireless networks to one or more minimum requirements. If theattributes for a wireless network are below the minimum requirements,then the wireless network may not be selected or removed from the listof available wireless networks.

In some embodiments, the rules applied by the rules server 1010 may bebased on personalized settings by the user. For example, the user of thedigital device 1002 may indicate personalized settings that indicatethat the digital device 1002 is only to connect over wireless networksthat have been designated as “shared.” In this example, the rules server1010 may select only those wireless networks with an attribute thatcomprises a shared indicator that identifies the wireless network as“shared.”

In various embodiments, the rules applied by the rules server 1010 maybe based on a comparison of the attributes of one wireless network toanother. In one example, the attributes may indicate that one wirelessnetwork has a greater bandwidth and shorter latency than another. Inthis example, the rules server 1010 may select one wireless network thathas better performance or valuable services in comparison to another.Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there may be any kind ofrule used to select or to assist in the selection of a wireless networkfrom the list of available wireless networks.

More than one rule may be applied by the rules server 1010 in making thewireless network selection. In one example, the rules server 1010 mayapply personalized settings of the user before comparing attributes fromdifferent wireless networks and making a selection. In another example,the rules server 1010 may apply minimum requirements to the attributesbefore comparing the attributes.

Once the rules server 1010 selects the wireless network based on thecomparison of attributes from the network profiles, the rules server1010 may provide the wireless network selection to the digital device1002. A wireless network selection includes one or more identifiers(e.g., network identifiers) that identify at least one wireless network.The wireless network selection may identify a single wireless network orcomprise a sorted list of wireless networks which is sorted in order ofpreference.

In some embodiments, the rules server 1010 provides credentials (e.g., acredential request response) for the selected wireless network inaddition to the wireless network selection to the digital device 1002.In one example, the rules server 1010 provides the selected wirelessnetwork to the credential server 1016 which then provides a credentialrequest response (even though no credential request has been made) forthe selected wireless network to the digital device 1002. In otherembodiments, the digital device 1002 receives the wireless networkselection and then proceeds to transmit a credential request to thecredential server 1016 to receive the credentials as discussed herein.

Further, in various embodiments, the digital device 1002 attempts toestablish a connection based the selected wireless network. If theconnection fails, the digital device 1002 may transmit a credentialrequest to the credential server 1016 to retrieve credentials fornetwork access as described herein. The digital device 1002 may providethe credential request to the credential server 1016 over an open portof the network device 1004. In another example, the digital device 1002may provide a credential request over any other network including aconnection with a different network device or over a cellularconnection.

Although the rules server 1010, network database server 1012, profileserver 1014, the credential server 1016, and the web server 1018 aredepicted as separate servers in FIG. 1, the servers may all be combinedas one or more servers. Similarly, the functions of any of the serversmay be performed by one of the other servers depicted or any otherserver.

Although FIG. 10 depicts multiple servers (e.g., rules server, networkdatabase server, profile server, credential server, and web server) forperforming the selection of a wireless network from the plurality ofavailable wireless networks, it will be appreciated by those skilled inthe art that the selection of the wireless networks may occur within thedigital device 1002. In one example, the digital device 1002 retrievesthe scan results listing available wireless networks and selects awireless network based on configuration preferences. The configurationpreferences may be based on one or more locally executed rules,preferred signal strength, or any other attribute or attributes. Inanother example, the digital device 1002 selects a wireless network thatsupports a desired service (e.g., VOIP), meets a minimum latencystandard, and meets a minimum QOS standard. In another example, theprofile server 1014 provides the desired network profiles to the digitaldevice 1002 which performs the analysis to determine the preferredwireless network.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of an exemplary process for providing aselection of a wireless network. In step 1102, a server (e.g., rulesserver 1010, network database server 1012, profile server 1014,credential server 1016, or web server 1018) receives a list of availablewireless networks from the digital device 1002. In some examples, thelist comprises the SSIDs or BSIDs of one or more network devices (e.g.,network device 1004 and network device 1006). The list can comprise anyinformation that identifies a network and/or network device.

In some embodiments, the server also receives one or more attributesassociated with a network and/or network device. In various embodiments,the digital device 1002 measures signal strength, determines availableservices, or takes a performance metric for one or more networks and/ornetwork devices that are identified on the list of available wirelessnetworks.

In step 1104, the server retrieves a network profile from a plurality ofnetwork profiles stored in a network database for each availablewireless network on the list of available wireless networks. Eachnetwork profile may comprise at least one attribute. In someembodiments, not all wireless networks on the list have a networkprofile. When a network profile for a wireless network on this list isnot found, a network profile associated with the wireless network may bethen created. If attributes are received from the digital device 1002,the server may determine which attribute received from the digitaldevice 1002 is associated with which network, network device, and/ornetwork profile.

In step 1106, the server compares attributes from each network profileagainst minimum requirements. In one example, the server compareslatency metrics from all network profiles in the list (if available)against a minimum latency metric. The server may also compare attributesreceived from the digital device 1002 against the minimum requirements.In step 1108, the server removes one or more wireless networks from thelist of available wireless networks and/or wireless network profilesbased on the comparison(s). For example, any wireless network with alatency metric that falls below the minimum latency metric may not beselected. In other embodiments, a wireless network with a latency metricthat falls below the minimum latency metric may receive a weighted valuethat will be compared to other wireless networks to assist in theselection process.

In some embodiments, the user of the digital device 1010 determines theminimum requirements. In other embodiments, the minimum requirements maybe selected for the user (e.g., by an administrator).

In step 1110, the server retrieves personalized settings for a user. Thepersonalized settings may be sent by the user to the server. In someembodiments, the user has an account with the web server 1018 whichcontains the personalized settings. In one example, the server receivesa user identifier along with the list of available wireless networks.The server then accesses the user's account and receives thepersonalized settings which are then applied to the attributes of thenetwork profiles associated with a wireless network on the list. Invarious embodiments, users may configure personalized settings (e.g.,the “aggressiveness”) at which a digital device 1002 may connect to awireless network. Such configurations could include:

-   -   (a) Connect to anything open regardless of shared indicator;    -   (b) connect to anything open except those with default        manufacturer SSIDs (e.g., “linksys”) that likely indicate the        owner simply left the access point open out of the box and is        unaware how to configure security functions;    -   (c) connect to anything open that the profile server 108 has        seen (or stored information regarding the Wi-Fi network); or    -   (d) connect to anything open with a shared indicator of        “shared,” or has been marked as shared by some other means.        Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there may be many        personalized settings.

In step 1112, the server removes one or more wireless networks from thelist or network profiles based on the personalized settings. Forexample, the personalized settings may indicate that the user onlywishes to connect to wireless networks that support videoconferencingand maintain a user defined QOS requirement. The server may then removeany wireless networks from the list of available wireless networks basedon the attributes either from the network profiles or recently receivedfrom the digital device 1002 that do not meet the user's personalizedsettings.

In some embodiments, the personalized settings may then be taken intoaccount either before or after comparison of attributes from the networkprofiles. In one example, personalized settings indicate that the userdoes not wish to connect to a wireless network that is not designated as“shared” or providing certain services. In one example, the rules server1010 either does not retrieve the network profiles associated withnetworks that do not provide the necessary service and/or does notcompare attributes associated with those networks. In other embodiments,the digital device 1002 applies personalized settings to results (e.g.,the wireless network selection) received from the rules server 1010before accessing a preferred wireless network.

In step 1114, the server compares the attributes of the remainingwireless networks on the list. In various embodiments, the server willapply a weight and normalize one or more of the attributes (e.g.,metrics) from within the network profiles. In some embodiments, olderattributes may be removed or weighed less than other attributes that arenewer. In one example, any metric that is over one week old may receiveless weight than a similar newer metric. In another example, a metricthat is over one month old may be removed from the network profiles ornot considered in the comparison. Those skilled in the art willappreciate that not all attributes or information from within thenetwork profiles may be taken into account in the comparison.

Each network profile may comprise any number of attributes. In oneexample, the rules server 1010 makes a wireless network selection basedon comparing a metric from two different network profiles. In someembodiments, the rules server 1010 selects a wireless network based on acomparison between two similar metrics (i.e., the latency metric fromthe first network profile is compared to the latency metric from thesecond network profile). Those skilled in the art will appreciate thatthe rules server 1010 may select a wireless network based on comparisonsbetween two similar recently received metrics or a recently receivedmetric and another within a network profile.

In other embodiments, the rules server 1010 selects a wireless networkbased on a comparison of two dissimilar metrics (i.e., the latencymetric from the first network profile is compared to a bandwidth metricfrom the second network profile). The rules server 1010 may execute analgorithm to weigh and normalize similar and/or dissimilar metrics orattributes in order to make a comparison for selecting the appropriatewireless network. In one example, the rules server 1010 compares alatency metric in the first network profile to a bandwidth metric in thesecond network profile. The rules server 1010 may execute an algorithmto weigh and normalize the metrics. The algorithm may weigh the latencymetric more than the bandwidth metric since latency may have a greaterimpact on network performance.

An attribute or metric may receive different weights depending on anynumber of factors. For example, a latency metric may receive a givenweight when the metric falls within an acceptable range, otherwise thelatency metric may be significantly less weight. A metric recentlyreceived from the digital device 1002 may receive greater weight than ametric of a similar type within a network profile. Those skilled in theart will appreciate that there are many ways to compare similar and/ordissimilar performance and/or qualitative metrics.

In step 1116, the server selects a wireless network based on thecomparison of attributes. The wireless network selection may comprise asingle preferred wireless network or a list of wireless networks sortedin order of preference. In one example, the rules server 1010 identifiesthe most preferred network, the second most preferred network, and soon. The rules server 1010 then provides the wireless network selectionto the digital device 1002 in step 1118.

In various embodiments, the rules server 1010 only compares metrics thatare recently received from the digital device 1002. In one example, twolatency metrics are received from the digital device 1002. Each latencymetric is associated with a separate wireless network identified on alist of available networks. In this example, the rules server 1010 mayselect a wireless network based on a comparison of the two attributes.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram of an exemplary process for selecting awireless network. In step 1002, the digital device 1002 enters into anarea with two wireless networks and the digital device 1202 scans fornetworks to access. In step 1204, the digital device 1002 receives afirst and a second network identifier of available wireless networks. Asdiscussed herein, the first and second network identifiers may compriseBSIDs, SSIDs, or any other network identifiers. For example, the firstnetwork identifier may comprise a BSID and the second network identifiermay comprise an SSID identifier. In another example, the first networkmay provide multiple identifiers including a BSID and an SSID while thesecond network provides only an SSID. In this example, the first networkidentifier may comprise both the BSID and the SSID of the first networkdevice while the second network identifier is only an SSID of the secondnetwork device.

In step 1206, the digital device 1002 generates a list of availablewireless networks. For example, the digital device 1002 may generate alist comprising the first network identifier and the second networkidentifier. The list is then provided to a server in step 1208.

In step 1210, the digital device 1002 receives a wireless networkselection from the server. The wireless network selection may comprisean identifier that identifies the selected wireless network oridentifies the network device associated with the selected wirelessnetwork (e.g., a BSID and/or SSID of the network device). In variousembodiments, the wireless network selection may comprise a list ofwireless networks sorted by preference. The list may comprise two ormore identifiers that identifies a selected wireless network or networkdevice.

In step 1212, the digital device 1002 receives credentials for thewireless network selection from the server. In some embodiments, thecredentials are received from the same server that received the list ofavailable wireless networks from the digital device 1002.

In various embodiments, the digital device 1002 receives the wirelessnetwork selection from the server and then provides a credential requestto receive the credentials for the desired network. In one example, thedigital device 1002 provides the credential request in the same mannerthat the digital device 1002 provided the list of available wirelessnetworks (e.g., over an open port of a network). In some embodiments,the preferred network does not require credentials or the credentialsare stored locally on the digital device 1002.

In step 1214, the digital device 1002 accesses the selected wirelessnetwork with the credentials. The process of applying the credentials toa login page or the like is discussed herein.

In various embodiments, the digital device 1002 may provide the list ofavailable wireless networks to the server over an open port of a networkdevice in a manner similar to providing a credential request discussedherein. In other embodiments, the digital device 1002 may provide thelist to the server over another network. In one example, the digitaldevice 1002 generates a list of available Wi-Fi networks and providesthe list over a cellular network (e.g., EVDO or 3G network). In thisexample, the wireless network selection may be returned to the digitaldevice over the cellular network and then the digital device 1002 mayattempt to access the preferred Wi-Fi network.

In another example, the digital device 1002 accesses one wirelessnetwork. The digital device 1002 can then provide a list of theavailable wireless networks to the server. The server may return thewireless network selection to the digital device 1002. If the preferredwireless network is not the network that the digital device 1002 hasoriginally accessed, then the digital device 1002 may drop theconnection and access the preferred wireless network.

Although FIGS. 10-12 contemplate a server receiving a list of availablewireless networks, determining a wireless network selection, andproviding the selection to the digital device 1002, those skilled in theart will appreciate that a server is not necessary. In one example, thedigital device 1002 generates a list of available wireless networks andthen retrieves any available information regarding the networks on thelist (e.g., from locally stored network profiles, from one or morenetwork devices, from a local or remote database, and/or retrievinginformation from another network such as the Internet). The digitaldevice 1002 may then make comparisons based on what attributesassociated with the networks are available to make a selection orgenerate a prioritized list. The digital device 1002 may then access theselected wireless network.

In various embodiments, the digital device 1002 may generate and provideattributes regarding one or more networks to update the networkprofiles. In one example, the digital device 1002 determines the qualityof the signal, bandwidth, or any other metrics and provides thosemetrics along with the list of available wireless networks to a server.In another example, as the digital device 1002 accesses a selectedwireless network, measures attributes, and provides the attributesupdate metrics within a network profile. Attributes (e.g., latencymetrics, bandwidth metrics, and QOS metrics) may be taken by the digitaldevice 1002 at any time and used to update the network profiles.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for selecting a wireless network and accessing theselected wireless network. In various embodiments, the network device1004 and network device 1006 provide a first and second networkidentifiers to the digital device 1002 in steps 1302 and 1304. In step1306, the digital device 1002 generates metrics (i.e., attributes) bytaking measurements regarding wireless networks associated with thenetwork device 1004 and network device 1006. In some examples, themetrics may include latency, strength of signal, or QOS metric.

In step 1308, the digital device 1002 generates a list of availablewireless networks which may include the network identifier from thenetwork device 1004 as well as the network identifier from the networkdevice 1006. In some embodiments, the digital device 1002 may alsocomprise personalized settings which may indicate a preference betweenthe two network identifiers or eliminate one or both of the networkidentifiers. In one example, the personalized settings indicate thatonly open networks that do not have a default manufacturer SSID (e.g.,“linksys”) may be accessed. In this example, if the network identifierfrom the network device 1004 indicates a default manufacturer SSID, thedigital device 1002 may not include that network identifier for thenetwork device 1004 in the list of available wireless networks.

In some embodiments, if the digital device 1002 cannot generate a listidentifying at least two or more networks, the digital device 1002 doesnot send the list. In one example, if the digital device 1002 can onlyidentify one available wireless network that meets the user'srequirements, then the digital device 1002 may attempt to access thewireless network directly or send a credential request for to a serverto retrieve any necessary credentials for access.

In step 1310, the digital device 1002 provides the attributes and thelist of available wireless networks over an open port (e.g., port 53) ofthe network device 1006 which acts like a proxy in providing theattributes and list of available networks to the rules server 1010. Inother embodiments, the digital device 1002 provides the attributes andthe list over an open port of the network device 1004. Alternately, thedigital device 1002 may provide the attributes and the list overseparate networks (e.g., the attributes over an open port of one of thenetwork devices and the list over a cellular network). In step 1312, thenetwork device 1006 acts as a proxy by providing the attributes and listvia DNS to the rules server 1010.

In step 1314, the rules server 1010 retrieves network profiles. In oneexample, the rules server 1010 retrieves the network identifiers fromthe list and retrieves network profiles associated with the networkidentifiers.

In step 1316, the rules server 1010 (or profile server 1014) updatesattributes within the network profiles with the attributes received fromthe digital device 1002. In one example, a new latency metric from thedigital device 1002 is used to update the network profile associatedwith the network identifier from the network device 1004. A time-to-livevalue associated with the attribute may also be updated to indicate thatthe new latency metric is recent.

In step 1318, the rules server 1010 selects a network device based oncomparing the attributes from within the network profiles. In someembodiments, the rules server 1010 also applies personalized settingsfrom the digital device 1002 or from an account associated with thedigital device 1002 (e.g., via the web server 1018) before making aselection. The rules server 1010 may prepare a prioritized list of thetwo network devices from the list provided by the digital device 1002.The list is prioritized based on which of the two network devicesprovides the most desirable service based on the metrics from thenetwork profiles.

In step 1320, the rules server 1010 provides the wireless networkselection and credentials via DNS back to the network device 1006 tofunction as a proxy to send the information to the digital device 1002.In one example, the rules server 1010 selects the network device 1004.The rules server 1010 may retrieve credentials for the network device1004 based on the network identifier of the network device 1004. Forexample, the rules server 1010 may provide a credential request to thecredential server 1016. The credential server 1016 may provide acredential request response containing necessary credentials to therules server 1010 which then sends both the credentials received fromthe credential server 1016 as well as the wireless network selection tothe digital device 1002.

In step 1322, then network device 1006 provides the network selectionand the credentials over the open port to the digital device 1002. Instep 1324, the digital device 1002 provides the credentials to accessthe network device 1004 and generates additional attributes regardingthe network (i.e., take additional measurements). Once a connection isestablished, the new attributes are provided to the rules server 1010 orprofile server 1014 to update the network profile associated with thenetwork device 1004 in step 1326. In one example, the digital device1002 may measure the time required to establish the connection with thenetwork device 1004. The time required to establish the connection maythen be used to update attributes in a network profile. If a connectionis not established or fails, that information may also be provided toupdate the associated network profile.

In some embodiments, if the network connection with the selected networkfails, the digital device 1002 may re-attempt to make the connection. Ifmultiple attempts to make the connection fail, information regarding thefailure is sent to update the associated network profile. The digitaldevice 1002 may then attempt to make a connection with another networkdevice (e.g., the network device 1006). In some embodiments, the digitaldevice 1002 re-scans the area, generates a new list of availablenetworks which may not include the network that the digital device 1002failed to connect. The new list may be sent to the rules server 1010 toreceive a new wireless network selection and the process may repeat.

In some embodiments, the rules server 1010 provides a prioritized listof available wireless networks sorted by preference. In one example, therules server 1010 provides a prioritized list of three networks to thedigital device 1002. The digital device 1002 may then attempt to accessthe first wireless network on the prioritized list. If the digitaldevice 1002 is unable to connect to the first wireless network, then thedigital device 1002 may proceed to attempt to connect to the nextnetwork on the list. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that theprioritized list may contain all, one, or some of the wireless networksidentified in the list of available wireless networks. For example, therules server 1010 may not identify wireless networks which are known toprovide poor performance, do not provide desired service (e.g., VOIPservice), and/or are otherwise blacklisted.

In various embodiments, the user of the digital device 1002 may overridethe wireless network selection to access any wireless network. In oneexample, the user chooses the priority of available wireless networks.In some embodiments, the user may configure the digital device 1002 orconfigure an account with the web server 1018 to include personalpreferences that may reorder or otherwise alter a prioritized list ofwireless networks from the rules server 1010. For example, the list ofavailable wireless networks may be altered based on user preferences bythe digital device 1002 or the web server 1018 prior to being providedto the rules server 1010.

In some embodiments, in addition to one or more open Wi-Fi networks,there may also be one or more encrypted Wi-Fi networks in a givenlocation. A digital device 1002 may connect to an open Wi-Fi network andtransmit the SSID of other Wi-Fi networks, including encrypted Wi-Finetworks, to the rules server 1010 via a network communication protocolsuch as HTTP.

The rules server 1010 may then determine, based on personalized settingsor other rules, that an available encrypted Wi-Fi network is thepreferred choice for a network connection. The rules server 1010 maytransmit the necessary encryption keys to the digital device 1002 overthe current open Wi-Fi network connection and send instructions to thedigital device 1002 to switch to the encrypted Wi-Fi network.

In various embodiments, a network database may be used to centralizeinformation regarding many different networks. A network database maystore a plurality of network profiles. Each network profile within thenetwork database may be associated with a separate network. In someexamples, the network profile is associated with a separate network byan BSID, DDID, SSID, or other identifier. Each network profile maycomprise attributes from one or more users.

As more digital devices access new and existing wireless networks,attributes (e.g., metrics and other information) may be collected andstored within the network profiles of the network database. Theattributes from many digital devices that access the same wirelessnetwork may be weighted and/or averaged to produce an attribute with ahigher probability that the attribute will match expected future networkperformance. Further, users may contribute information or attributesdirectly (e.g., indicating that a network is shared) to more accuratelycharacterize the wireless network.

As attributes associated with available wireless networks are gatheredand organized, the quality of selections of wireless networks based onthe attributes from the network database may increase. For example, alatency metric from a single user's experience with a wireless networkmay not be representative of the performance of the network. However, alatency metric that is formed from averaging the latency metricsreceived from twenty separate users who use the same wireless networkmay be a very accurate indicator of future performance. As moreattributes and information is gathered on an increasing number ofwireless networks and stored within the network database, the qualityand service of wireless networks may be measured. As a result, a digitaldevice may automatically access a wireless network and receive anexpected or at least a minimum level of performance.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of an exemplary process for updating and storingattributes associated with wireless networks within a network database.Digital devices may scan or receive attributes regarding differentnetwork devices and/or networks. These attributes may be provided to anetwork database where the information will be stored and aggregatedwith other attributes for the same network. The digital device mayprovide that attributes to the network database in many ways. Forexample, the digital device may provide the attributes to the networkdatabase over an open port of a network device. Alternately, the digitaldevice may provide the attributes to the network database through acellular network or any kind of network.

The digital device may provide attributes to the network database at anytime. In one example, the digital device provides the attributes to thenetwork database prior to logging into a wireless network (e.g., as astandard protocol over an open port). In another example, the digitaldevice may transmit one or more attributes along with a list ofavailable wireless networks as discussed in FIG. 13. Further, attributesmay be collected by the digital device while using a wireless network.In one example, the digital device may be logged into a wireless networkfor two or more hours. During that time, the digital device may take alatency metric every ten minutes. Similarly, during that time, thedigital device may take a bandwidth metric or measure a QOS metric. Theattributes may be sent at any time to the network database which mayanalyze and/or store the attributes.

In step 1402, a digital device 1002 receives a network identifier andgenerates an attribute associated with the network identifier. In oneexample, the network identifier is a BSID of the wireless network. Theattribute may comprise a performance metric, shared indicator, orservice identifier. In one example, the digital device 1002 measures abandwidth metric of a wireless network associated with the networkidentifier.

In step 1404, the digital device 1002 provides the network identifierand attribute to a server to store the attribute within the networkdatabase. The digital device 1002 may provide the attribute to thenetwork database as the attribute becomes available. Alternatively, thedigital device 1002 may provide one or more attributes to the networkdatabase at predetermined intervals or at a given time. Those skilled inthe art will appreciate that the digital device 1002 may be configuredby a user or an administrator to control how and when the digital device1002 generates attributes or tests the network to generate one or moreattributes. Further, the user or administrator may configure how andwhen the digital device 1002 provides the attributes to the networkdatabase.

The server may be any kind of server (e.g., a rules server 1010, networkdatabase server 1012, profile server 1014, credential server 1016, orweb server 1018). In one example, the profile server 1014 receives thenetwork identifier and attribute from the digital device 1002. Theprofile server 1014 may determine if a network profile associated withthe network identifier is within the network database in step 1406. Inone example, the profile server 1014 queries the network database server1012 for a network profile associated with the network identifier. Thenetwork database server 1012 may control the network database.

If the network profile exists, then another user or administrator hasidentified or had experience with the wireless network associated withthe network identifier. If the network profile does not exist, then thenetwork database may not have previously received an attribute for thewireless network associated with the network identifier. If the networkprofile exists, the network profile is retrieved in step 1408. In oneexample, the network database server 1012 provides the requested networkprofile to the profile server 1014.

The profile server 1014 may then update an existing attribute alreadywithin the network profile with the newly received attribute in step1410. In one example, a latency metric may already exist within thenetwork profile. The older latency metric may be averaged with the newattribute to form a new latency metric that is then stored within thenetwork profile. If an attribute of the same type as the receivedattribute does not already exist within the network profile, theattribute may be stored within the network profile. For example, therecently received attribute may be a service identifier that indicatesthat the network supports VOIP. If no such attribute exists within thenetwork profile, the service identifier is then stored within thenetwork profile.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that attributes may be combinedby any kind of algorithm. In various embodiments, each quantitativeattribute (e.g., performance metric) may be weighted based on any numberof factors. In one example, individual quantitative attributes for thesame metric are all stored within a network profile. The profile server1012 may execute an algorithm that weighs each individual quantitativeattribute based on the number of individual attributes and/or when theattributes were received (older attributes are weighted less than newerattributes). As the number of attributes for each type is received, theaccuracy of a weighted representation (e.g., an weighted average) mayincrease.

If the network database server 1012 finds that the network profile didnot previously exist, the network database server 1012 or the profileserver 1014 may create a new network profile associated with the networkidentifier. The profile server 1014 may then store the attribute withinthe network profile in step 1414.

In various embodiments, the digital device 1002 enters into an area withfive wireless networks. The digital device 1002 may generate a list ofavailable wireless networks comprising network device identifiers forall five networks. If any of the five networks have not been previouslyidentified, the network database server 1012 (or any serve) mayautomatically create a new network profile for each network notpreviously identified.

In step 1416, the profile server 1012 optionally updates a time-to-livecharacteristic of the attribute. The time-to-live characteristic is apredetermined time that may affect the weight of the attribute in analgorithm and/or may be a deadline from which the attribute isconsidered expired. In one example, an attribute may be weighted less asthe attribute get older (e.g., received two to three weeks before thecurrent time). In some embodiments, when an attribute is thirty daysold, the attribute is automatically expired. In one example, an expiredattribute may be removed from the network profile automatically. Inanother example, the attribute may continue to exist in the networkprofile but is either ignored or weighted very lightly in comparison tonewer or “fresher” attributes of the same type.

In some embodiments, a weighted average of all attributes of a certaintype (e.g., the last twenty latency metrics associated with a singlewireless network received over the last two weeks) is also associatedwith a time-to-live characteristic. If the average is not updated, theaverage itself may be weighted in a manner consistent with the staleattributes. In some embodiments, averages may expire based on thetime-to-live characteristic if the average is not updated regularly.

In step 1418, the profile server 1014 or the network database server1012 stores the network profile within the network database.

In another example metrics are provided by the digital device 1002 toupdate one or more network profiles. In one example, a wireless networkis recently upgraded to support VOIP. In this example, the digitaldevice 1002 may detect the new capability and provide a serviceidentifier that indicates this capability to the rules server 1010. Therules server 1010 may retrieve and update a network profile from theprofile server 1014 to indicate the new capability. The updated networkprofile may then be stored within the network database.

In various embodiments, attributes received from a digital device 1002may be stored within a plurality of network profiles associated withdifferent network device identifiers. In one example, an attributecomprises a physical location of the network and/or network deviceidentifier. If the digital device 1002 provides a list of availablewireless networks, and the location of one of the wireless networks isknown, then the network database server 1012 may conclude that allnetworks on the list of available wireless networks must also be in thesame general location. As a result, the network database server 1012 maycreate or update attributes in all network profiles associated with thelist to specify a location even if one or more of those wirelessnetworks are otherwise encrypted (e.g., WEP or WPA).

A server (e.g., the profile server 1014, the credential server 1016, orthe web server 1018) may also be able to determine the location of thedigital device 1002. In one example, the profile server 1014 receives aBSID from the digital device 1002. The profile server 1014 may refer toa database of locations for different BSIDs to determine the location ofthe user. In another example, the profile server 1014 may query a GPSunit in the digital device 1002 or a GPS unit within the network deviceassociated with the network device identifier to receive locationinformation. In yet another example, the location of the digital device1002 may be determined by using an IP address of the digital device1002. The location attribute for all wireless networks in the area maythen be updated to indicate the general location of related wirelessnetworks or network devices.

In some embodiments, the location of the user may be determined orretrieved from a network profile in order to identify the generalphysical location of the user. The general physical location of the usercan be used to update attributes of networks in the user's area asdiscussed. In various embodiments, a location directory of availablewireless networks may be created. In one example, a graphical userinterface allows a user to interact (e.g., via a web site) with alocation database thereby allowing the user to browse a directory ofavailable wireless networks and their respective locations. Further, thedirectory may indicate one or more attributes or functions ofattributes. In one example, the directory identifies the expectedlatency of one or more wireless networks as well as the location,service offered, and whether the wireless network is intentionallyshared.

Further, targeted advertising may be directed to the digital device 1002depending on the location of the user or the user's proximity to goodsand services. In various embodiments, a database of locations ofwireless networks may be generated. Access to the database may then besold to advertisers to create or direct advertisements.

FIG. 15 is another flowchart of an exemplary process for updating andstoring attributes associated with wireless networks within a networkdatabase. In various embodiments, an owner of a wireless network, userof a digital device 1002, and/or administrator may log onto a web server1018 to create, update, or access one or more network profiles. In oneexample, network owners registered with the web server 1018 have theability to add information and/or attributes within a network profileregarding their own network. For example, the user may indicate that,although the network is open, it is not to be shared (e.g., storing ashared indicator that indicates that the wireless network is “notshared” within the network profile). Alternately, the user may designatetheir network as “shared.” Further, the user may indicate what servicesmay be used over the network (e.g., by the performance of the network issuitable for VOIP or online conference calling but not online videoconferencing). The user may also provide information regarding thelocation of their network device and other network devices in the area.

In another example, a user of a digital device 1002 registered with theweb server 1018 may add attributes regarding wireless networks they haveexperience with. For example, a user of a digital device 1002 may logonto the web server 1018 to store a shared indicator that indicates alocal coffee-shop network is “shared.” In some embodiments, the user ofthe digital device 1002 may be authorized to store an attribute to allnetwork profiles of all coffee shops of the same chain to indicate thattheir networks are “shared.” In other embodiments, an administrator ofthe coffee-shops or an administrator of the network database may store ashared indicator indicating that all of the wireless networks offered bycoffee-shops of the chain are “shared.”

In step 1502, the web server 1018 logs in a user. The user may log in orregister with the web server 1018 over a network such as the Internet.In one example, the user browses to a web page to enter a username orpassword. In some embodiments, the connection between the user and theweb server 1018 are encrypted before or after the user logs in.

In various embodiments, any user with a digital device 1002 capable ofwireless access may have the option to register with the web server1018. In some embodiments, the user is authenticated to confirmauthorization. Owners of networks may have the option to change theattributes of their own network but not the attributes of any othernetworks. Administrators, on the other hand, may have the authorizationto change attributes associated with a plurality of networks.

In step 1504, the web server 1018 receives a network device identifierand an attribute from the user or administrator. In some embodiments,the network device identifier is associated with a single wirelessnetwork. In one example, the network device identifier is a BSIDidentifier of a network device. In other embodiments, the network deviceidentifier is associated with a plurality of wireless networks. Forexample, the network device identifier may be an SSID identifier such as“Starbucks” The SSID identifier may be shared by many network devices.In this example, every wireless network at a Starbucks coffee shop mayhave the same SSID identifier.

In step 1506, the web server 1018 determines if a network profileassociated with the network identifier is within a network database. Insome embodiments, the network database is local to the web server 1018.In other embodiments, the network database server 1012 comprises thenetwork database. In one example, the web server 1018 provides a requestfor one or more network profiles that are associated with the networkdevice identifier to the network database server 1012. In anotherexample, the web server 1018 may query the network database directly orprovide a request to the network database server 1012 to determine ifthe network profile exists.

If the network profile exists, then the web server 1018 or the networkdatabase server 1012 determines if the user has authorization to thechanges to the network profile in step 1508. In some embodiments, thenetwork profile comprises or is associated with security settings thatindicate if the user or administrator has rights to access, view, ormodify the network profile. In one example, the web server 1018 confirmsthe authorization of the user with the security settings. Assuming theuser is authorized, the network profile is retrieved in step 1510. Ifthe user is not authorized, the web server 1018 may provide a messageindicating that the user is unauthorized to perform the requestedaction.

In step 1512, the web server 1018 determines if the attribute alreadyexists in the network profile. In other words, the web server 1018determines the type of attribute (e.g., a shared indicator, serviceidentifier, or QOS metric) received from the user and determines if thattype of attribute is already present. If the type of attribute isalready present then the web server 1018 may update the attribute withinthe network profile in step 1514. As discussed previously, if theattribute is quantitative, the web server 1018 may average or perform aweighted algorithm on the different attributes. The result may then bestored within the network profile. In some embodiments, many attributesfrom the same network device indicator may be averaged or otherwisetransformed by one or more algorithms and the results stored within therespective network profile.

If the attribute is not quantitative, then the existing attribute may bereplaced by the new value. For example, the owner of a network may havepreviously indicated that the network is “shared.” The owner may loginto the web server 1018, and request that the network profile for theirnetwork be updated to indicate that the network is no longer shared(e.g., replace the shared indicator indicating “shared” with a sharedindicator indicating “not shared”). In another example, an administratormay be aware of a chain restaurant that offers free wireless access. Theadministrator may log onto the web server 1018 and request that all ofthe network profiles for the chain restaurant be updated to indicatethat the networks are “shared.”

If the network profile does not exist in the network database, than theweb server 1018 or network database server 1012 creates a new networkprofile in step 1516. In some embodiments, the web server 1018 checks todetermine if the user is authorized to create a new network profile. Theattribute associated with the network device identifier is then storedwithin the network profile in step 1518. Similarly, if an existingnetwork profile retrieved did not have the same type of attribute as theone received form the user, the attribute is stored in the retrievednetwork profile.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, that although FIG.15 is discussed with respect to the web server 1018 and the networkdatabase server 1012, the functions described herein may be performed byany server. For example, the functions described in FIG. 15 may beperformed by a single server. Alternately, different servers than thosedescribed in FIG. 15 may perform the different described functions.

In various embodiments, the web server 1018 may store personalizedsettings. In one example, a digital device user creates a user accounton web server 1018 and stores the personalized settings. Thepersonalized settings, as described herein, may be used by the rulesserver 1010 in selecting wireless networks for the user's digital device1002. For example, when the user's digital device 1002 provides a listof available wireless networks to the rules server 1010 as well as auser identifier. The rules server 1010 may check with the web server1018 if there are any personalized settings associated with the useridentifier. If personalized settings exist, then the rules server 1010may apply one, some, or all of the personalized settings to eliminateundesirable wireless networks and/or assist in the wireless networkselection process.

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram of an exemplary process of using a networkdatabase in selecting a wireless network. By collecting the attributesinto a network database from different users (as discussed in FIGS. 14and 15), the rules server 1010 may provide accurate wireless networkselections with an increased likelihood of meeting a desired level ofperformance.

In step 1602, the profile server may receive multiple attributes for afirst wireless network from multiple users. In one example, many usersaccess the same wireless network (e.g., a wireless network at a busyairport). Each digital device may provide attributes to a server such asthe profile server 1014. The attributes may be collected over a longperiod or time or nearly simultaneously.

In step 1604, the server, such as the profile server 1014 averages themultiple attributes and stores the average within a network profileassociated with the first wireless network. In some embodiments, theserver retrieves a network profile associated with the first wirelessnetwork. The server may then perform an algorithm, including a functionthat averages attributes of a similar type (e.g., latency metric orbandwidth metric). The result may be stored in the network profile ofthe first wireless network.

In step 1606, the server receives multiple attributes for a secondwireless network from multiple users. The second wireless network may belocated in the same area as the first wireless network. In step 1608,the server may average the multiple attributes and store the averagewithin a network profile associated with the second wireless network.Similar to step 1604, in some embodiments, the server retrieves anetwork profile associated with the second wireless network. The servermay then perform an algorithm, including a function that averagesattributes of a similar type and store the result in the network profileof the second wireless network.

In step 1610, the server receives a list of available wireless networksincluding the first and second wireless networks from a digital device1002. In one example, the digital device 1002 scans for availablewireless networks and receives network device identifiers for the firstand second wireless networks. The list of available wireless networkscomprising the two network device identifiers may be provided to aserver such as the rules server 1010.

In step 1612, the server retrieves a network profile for the first andsecond wireless networks. For example, the server may retrieve the firstand second network profiles based on the two network device indicatorswithin the list of available wireless networks. The first and secondnetwork profiles comprise the results of the multiple attributesreceived from steps 1602 and 1604. The first and second network profilesmay be retrieved from a network database comprising a plurality ofnetwork profiles.

In step 1614, the server compares the averaged attribute of the firstwireless network to the average attribute of the second wirelessnetwork. In taking many attributes of a similar type from many users,the results of the averaging function or algorithm tend to be moreaccurate and, therefore, may be representative of an expected level ofperformance of the wireless networks. Similarly as the expectations ofperformance are more accurate, the comparison of these attributes in theaggregate may also product more accurate results.

In step 1616, the server selects an available wireless network based onthe comparison. For example, by comparing the averaged attributes of thefirst wireless network to the average attributes of the second wirelessnetwork, the selection of wireless network with the best performance canbe made with a higher confidence. As a result, as more users add moreattributes to network profiles within the network database, current andincreasingly accurate information may be used to help users find andutilize the high quality wireless networks. In step 1618, the server mayprovide the network wireless selection to the digital device.

In various embodiments, the attributes of the different wirelessnetworks may also indicate the usage and/or quality of the wirelessnetworks. The attributes may also indicate the services used. Thisinformation may then be analyzed and/or offered to various businessesand services. In one example, a potential business may wish to know thecurrent usage of wireless networks in hotels, airports, and restaurants.Another business may wish to know which services are most popular incertain locations or are most popular with networks associated with acertain kind of business (e.g., convention centers). Similarly,businesses may be interested in eliminating unpopular services orwireless networks that fall below a usage threshold.

Although many networks are accessible (e.g., not secured), the owner ofthe network may wish the network to be restricted or may wish for usersto agree to terms and conditions prior to use. In various embodiments, amobile device, such as a smartphone or laptop, may retrieve informationfrom a server regarding an indication of a likelihood that a networkdevice is intentionally shared and if terms and conditions are required.The mobile device may receive terms and conditions information which maybe used to provide a user the option to accept or decline terms andconditions.

In some embodiments, the mobile device may retrieve informationregarding the likelihood that the network device is intentionallyshared. A network device and/or services provided by a network devicemay be intentionally shared when an owner of the network device,operator of the network device, or business associated with the networkdevice intentionally or purposefully shares the network device and/orservices provided by the network device with the public, patrons,community, or group. A network device, for example, may be accessiblebecause the owner did not correctly configure security settings,however, the insecure network device may not have been intentionallyshared with others. In another example, a network device may bepurposefully insecure so that network services will be available tomembers of a family, friends or employees but the owner may desire thatthe network device and/or network services not be shared with anyoneelse.

A likelihood that the network device is intentionally shared is anindication that the network device or at least some of the networkservices offered by the network device may be intentionally shared. If anetwork device is part of a coffee shop or a local wireless hotspot,there is a strong likelihood that the owner or operator intends to sharethe network device or network services. If a network device is in aresidential neighborhood or if the network device includes one or moreidentifiers that are part of a default configuration, then thelikelihood that the owner or operator intends to share the networkdevice or network services is low. If the owner or operator of thenetwork device has configured an identifier associated with the networkdevice to indicate that the network device is not to be shared or hasotherwise expressly stated that the network device is not to be shared,the network device may be blacklisted. In various embodiments, ablacklist of intentionally unshared network devices and/or networkservices as well as a whitelist of intentionally shared network devicesand/or services may have a value (e.g., 0 or 1) associated with alikelihood that the network device is intentionally shared.

In various embodiments, a network device may be associated with anindicator that indicates that the network device is intentionally sharedif the owner or operator of the network device likely intentionallyallows the public or patrons to access the Internet. The network devicemay be associated with the indicator that indicates that the networkdevice is intentionally shared as long as some network services are tobe shared even if there are one or more other network services that arenot to be shared (e.g., Internet access is intentionally shared butaccess to business servers is not intentionally shared).

Based on the retrieved information and previously stored accesssettings, the mobile device may determine to use or not use a networkdevice. In one example, the mobile device may comprise one or moreaccess settings that indicate that the only network devices that may beaccessed are those network devices that have been intentionally sharedor are very likely intentionally shared. If the likelihood that thenetwork device is shared is unknown or it is determined that the networkdevice is likely not to be intentionally shared, then, based on thepreviously stored access settings, the mobile device may determine thatthe network device is not to be used.

The mobile device may also determine if terms and conditions arerequired based on a terms and conditions indicator provided by a serveron a network. If terms and conditions are required, the server mayprovide the mobile device a link to terms and conditions and requirethat the user accept or decline the terms and conditions before enablingfurther access. In one example, the mobile device may send a terms andconditions indication request to the server. The server may provide anindication that terms and conditions are required to be accepted beforeproviding any further access to network services provide by a networkdevice. The server may provide a link to terms and conditions that mustbe accepted. The mobile device may provide the terms and conditions inas a text message, email, or web page and subsequently log off of thenetwork device until the user accepts the terms and conditions. If theuser accepts the terms and conditions, the mobile device may access orlog onto the network device. If the user chooses not to accept the termsand conditions, the smart device may not log back on to the networkdevice and the network device may be associated with a blacklist.

In various embodiments, the owner or operator of a network device maydesire users to receive a message such as an advertisement, special, orany other information associated with a business or the like. The mobiledevice may be configured to request message information from a serverand receive message information. The message information may, forexample, comprise a link and text. A notification message, based on themessage information received from the server, may be presented to theuser as a notification message, text message, SMS message, or the likeindicating the text. The notification message may be formatted for theuser's mobile device (e.g., Samsung Galaxy S smart phone). The user mayinteract with the text and/or otherwise activate the link to access adocument or web page presenting the user with the advertisement, specialoffer, or any other kind of information.

FIG. 17 depicts an exemplary environment 1700 in which some embodimentsmay be practiced. The exemplary environment 1700 comprises a mobiledevice 1702 in communication with a network device 1704. The networkdevice 1704 may be in communication with a credential server 1708 and aweb server 1710 over communication network 1706. The mobile device 1702,network device 1704, credential server 1708, and/or web server 1710 maybe digital devices.

The mobile device 1702 may be any digital device that is portable. Forexample, the mobile device 1702 may include, but is not limited to, asmart phone, cellular device, media device (e.g., iPod), tablet,notebook computer, PDA, or the like. As discussed herein, the mobiledevice 1702 may obtain network access via the network device 1704 byproviding the network device 1704 credentials received from thecredential server 1708. For example, the mobile device 1702 may identifythe network device 1704, request credentials from the credential server1708 over an open port of the network device 1704 (e.g., by formattingthe request using the DNS protocol), and receive a credential requestresponse including credentials from the credential server 1708 over theopen port of the network device 1704.

The credential request response may include an indicator which indicatesthe likelihood that the services provided by the network device 1704 areintentionally shared. Further, the credential request response mayinclude a terms and conditions indicator as well as a message indicator.The terms and conditions indicator which may indicate that terms andconditions are required to access network services over the networkdevice 1704. The message indicator which may indicate that a message ornotification is to be provided to the user of the mobile device 1702.

In various embodiments, the likelihood that the network device 1704 waslikely or intentionally shared with the user and/or the mobile device1702 may determine whether the mobile device 1702 may utilize thenetwork device 1704 for network access. For example, if the networkdevice 1704 was unintentionally allowed to be shared (e.g., the operatoror administrator of the network device 1704 unintentionally failed toenable security services on the network device 1704), it may beundesirable for one or more mobile devices to access the network overthe network device 1704.

In some embodiments, one or more lists of available network devices 1704may be generated. The list may be used to identify any number of networkdevices 1704 that a mobile device or any digital device may obtainaccess. In various embodiments, one or more of the identified networkdevices 1704 on the list may be associated with a curation indicatorindicating the likelihood that the associated network device 1704 is tobe shared.

In one example, the mobile device 1702 may request a curation indicatorfrom the credential server 1708 or other server. The curation indicatormay indicate the likelihood that the network device 1704 is to be sharedwith the mobile device 1702 (e.g., publicly shared) or any other mobiledevice. The mobile device 1702 may determine whether to use the networkdevice 1704 to access a network based on the curation indicator.

For example, if the network device 1704 is part of a local establishmentor business, it is likely that the network device 1704 may be sharedwith the business' patrons. However, if the network device 1704 is ahome router, even if the network device 1704 does not have any securityservices enabled, the network device 1704 may be deemed to notintentionally be publicly shared. As such, the mobile device 1702 maydetermine not to utilize the network device 1704 based on the curationindicator associated with the network device 1704.

The curation indicator may be analogized as being a “shade of gray” fromwhite to black. One curation indicator value may be associated with“white” which may indicate that the related network device 1704 is on awhitelist (e.g., intentionally shared). Another curation indicator valuemay be associated with “black” which may indicate that the relatednetwork device 1704 is on a blacklist (e.g., intentionally not shared).Other curation indicator values may include varying shades of gray, suchas “unknown,” “likely not intentionally shared,” or “likelyintentionally shared.” Other curation indicator values may include, forexample, “intentionally shared but only upon acceptance of terms andconditions.”

In various embodiments, the mobile device 1702 may determine that thenetwork device 1704 or an operator associated with the network device1704 requires terms and conditions to be agreed to before utilizingnetwork services of the network device 1704. In some embodiments, themobile device 1702 may request terms and conditions from a server suchas the credential server 1708. The credential server 1708 may receivethe terms and conditions request and determine if terms and conditionsare associated with the network device 1704. If terms and conditions arerequired, the credential server 1708 may provide the mobile device 1702terms and conditions information.

The mobile device 1702 may provide the user with a notification of theterms and conditions and, further, may require that the user accept ordecline the terms and conditions. If the user accepts the terms andconditions, the mobile device 1702 may enable or otherwise allow accessto the network device 1704 (e.g., by logging into the network device1704). If the user denies the terms and conditions, the mobile device1703 may disable or not log onto the network device 1704. Further, themobile device 1702 may add the network device 1704 to a blacklist orotherwise indicate that the user does not wish to access the networkdevice 1704. There are many ways in which the mobile device 1702 mayreceive the terms and conditions associated with the network device1704, provide the terms and conditions to the user, and determine toaccess network services of the network device 1704 based on the user'sresponse to the terms and conditions.

In some embodiments, the mobile device 1702 may determine if a messageis to be displayed. In one example, the mobile device 1702 may request amessage server or credential server 1708 if a message associated withthe network device 1704 is to be displayed by the mobile device 1702.The server may receive the message request and provide messageinformation. The mobile device 1702 may notify the user based on themessage information. The notification to the user may include a textmessage, SMS message, pop up, notification message or the like. In oneexample, the mobile device 1702 comprises an Android operating systemand the notification message may appear in the notification status bar.The user may activate the notification message and see text or graphicwith an embedded link. The text or graphic may indicate an offer,advertisement, or any other information. The user may, in someembodiments, activate the embedded ink (e.g., by clicking on or touchingthe text) to access a web page, graphic, image, or other media thatdisplays information or otherwise informs the user.

The communication network 1706 may be any network including a LAN, WAN,or combination of networks. The communication network 1706 may comprisewired, wireless, and/or cellular connections. The communication network1706 may be similar to the communication network 114.

The credential server 1708 may be any server configured to providenetwork credentials to the mobile device 1702. The credential server1708 may perform similar actions as the credential server 106 asdiscussed regarding FIG. 1 and/or credential server 1016 as discussedregarding FIG. 10.

In some embodiments, when the credential server 1708 receives acredential request response, the credential server 1708 may identify anetwork record associated with the network device 1704. The networkrecord may indicate or allow the credential server 1708 to retrieve acuration indicator, a terms and conditions indicator, and/or messageindicator. The curation indicator may indicate the likelihood that thenetwork device 1704 and/or the network services provided by the networkdevice 1704 are intentionally shared. The terms and conditions indicatormay indicate that acceptance of terms and conditions associated with thenetwork device 1704 and/or the network services provided by the networkdevice 1704 are required. The message indicator may indicate that amessage may be provided to the mobile device 1702. The credential server1708 may include the curation indicator, the terms and conditionsindicator, and/or the message indicator within the credential requestresponse that is provided to the mobile device 1702. In someembodiments, the credential server 1708 may provide the curationindicator, terms and conditions indicator, and/or message indicator aspart of the credential request response, as part of a separate response,or as individual messages to the mobile device 1702.

Once the mobile device 1702 receives the terms and conditions indicatorand/or the message indicator, the mobile device 1702 may request theterms and conditions and/or the message information from the credentialserver 1708 or any server(s). The terms and conditions and/or the postlogin information may be provided to the mobile device as a part of anotification, text message, SMS, pop up, or any other kind ofnotification.

Although only the credential server 1708 is depicted in FIG. 1, thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that there may be any number ofservers. For example, the mobile device 1702 may request terms andconditions information from a T&C server and/or post login informationfrom a message server.

The web server 1710 may be a digital device configured to provide one ormore web pages to the mobile device 1702. The web pages may beassociated with the network device 1704. In one example, the networkdevice 1704 is a wireless router at a coffee shop. The web server 1710may provide web pages associated with the coffee shop (e.g., a homepageof the coffee shop) including, for example, terms and conditions ormessages.

Although only one mobile device 1702, network device 1704, credentialserver 1708, and web server 1710 are depicted in FIG. 17, those skilledin the art will appreciate that there may be any number of mobiledevices 1702, network devices 1704, credential servers 1708, and webservers 1710. For example, any number of mobile devices 1702 maycommunicate with and/or over network device 1704. Similarly, forexample, any number of credential server 1708 may provide credentialsand other information to the mobile devices 1702.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram of an exemplary credential server 1708. Thecredential server 1708 comprises an authentication module 1802, anetwork module 1804, a credential request module 1806, a credentialrequest response module 1808, an encryption/decryption module 1810, anetwork record storage 1812, an encryption key storage 1814, a curationmodule 1816, a T&C module 1818, a message module 1820, a profile module1822, and a T&C and message storage 1824.

The authentication module 1802 may be similar to the authenticationmodule 200. The authentication module 1802 may be configured toauthenticate the credential request and provide security to thecredential request response. In various embodiments, the digital device102 may encrypt or digitally sign the credential request using anencryption key (e.g., a shared encryption key or an encryption key thatis a part of a key pair). The authentication module 1802 mayauthenticate the credential request by decrypting the credential requestwith the proper encryption key retrieved from the encryption key storage1814. In one example, the mobile device 1702 generates a hash of thecredential request and stores the hash within an encrypted portion ofthe credential request. The authentication module 1802 may decrypt thecredential request, generate hash of the credential request response,and compare the generated hash to the hash contained within thecredential request for authentication.

In other embodiments, the digital device 1702 may generate a nonce(i.e., a random value) and store the nonce within a portion of thecredential request that is digitally signed. The authentication module1802 may decrypt the digital signature to authenticate the credentialrequest and retrieve the nonce. In various embodiments, when thecredential request response module 1808 generates the credential requestresponse (described herein), the authentication module 1802 may includethe nonce within the credential request response. The authenticationmodule 1802 or the encryption/decryption module 1810 may then encryptthe credential request response. When the mobile device 1702 decryptsthe credential request response, the mobile device 1702 may retrieve thenonce from the credential request response and compare the nonce to thenonce that was transmitted within the credential request for furtherauthentication.

The network module 1804 may be configured to receive the credentialrequest and transmit the credential request response over thecommunication network 1706.

The credential request module 1806 may receive the credential requestfrom the network module 1804. The credential request may be a standardprotocol. In one example, the credential request is a UDP protocol(e.g., DNS).

In exemplary embodiments, the credential request module 1806 mayretrieve the DDID and the SSID from the credential request. The DDID mayidentify the mobile device 1702, the user of the mobile device 1702,and/or the user associated with a network record. The SSID may identifythe hotspot or the service provider (i.e., operator) of the hotspot.

The credential request module 1806 or the credential request responsemodule 1808 may identify a network record based on the DDID and theSSID. A network record is a record associated (either directly orindirectly (e.g., a relational database)) with the DDID and the SSID. Inone example, a network record contains network credentials necessary toprovide network access to a mobile device 1702 associated with the DDIDat the hotspot associated with the SSID. Network records may be storedwithin the network record storage 1812.

The credential request response module 1808 may generate the credentialrequest response. In various embodiments, the credential requestresponse module 1808 receives the network credential associated with theDDID and SSID from the network record. In some embodiments, the networkcredential may comprise a credit card number. In one example, the mobiledevice 1702 receives the network credential, retrieves the credit cardnumber, and provides the credit card number to the authenticationserver. In some examples, the authentication server may then charge afee to a credit card associated with the credit card number or use theinformation to confirm the identity of the user prior to grantingnetwork access.

Further, in various embodiments, the network credentials may compriselogin procedural information. In one example, the credentials include ausername and password which are to be provided within a form (e.g., anauthentication form) retrieved from the authentication server by themobile device 1702. In some embodiments, the login proceduralinformation may instruct the mobile device 1702 to populate specificfields within the form with the network credentials before submittingthe completed form to the authentication server. Those skilled in theart will appreciate that there are many ways to provide credentials tothe authentication server. The process of providing the credentials tothe authentication server is further discussed in co-pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/899,638, entitled “System and Method forObtaining Network Credentials,” filed Sep. 6, 2007.

The credential request response module 1808 or the encryption/decryptionmodule 1810 may encrypt the credential request response with anencryption key associated with the DDID or the credential request. Inone example, the credential server 1708 stores one or more sharedencryption keys. Each shared encryption key may be shared by at leastone mobile device 1702. The credential request response module 1808 mayencrypt the credential request response with the shared encryption keyassociated with the mobile device 1702 (e.g., the shared encryption keymay be associated with the DDID). The credential request response module1808 or the encryption/decryption module 1810 may also encrypt thecredential request with an encryption key that is part of a key pair.There may be many ways in which the encryption/decryption module 1810encrypts the credential request.

The encryption/decryption module 1810 may decrypt the credential requestand encrypt the credential request response. As previously discussed,the encryption/decryption module 1810 may decrypt the digital signatureof the credential request. In one example, the encryption/decryptionmodule 1810 decrypts the digital signature based on an encryption keythat is associated with the DDID contained within the credentialrequest. The encryption/decryption module 1810 may also encrypt thecredential request response. In one example, the encryption/decryptionmodule 1810 encrypts the credential request response based on anencryption key associated with the DDID (e.g., a shared encryption keyor an encryption key that is part of a key pair).

In various embodiments, the encryption/decryption module 1810 mayencrypt the network records contained within the network record storage1812 and manage the encryption key storage 1814. Theencryption/decryption module 1810 may also establish securecommunications (e.g., via SSL and HTTPS) with a digital device whenstoring network credentials. This process is further described in FIG.7. In accordance with some embodiments, the encryption/decryption module1810 may be optional.

The network record storage 1812 and the encryption key storage 1814 maystore network records and encryption keys, respectively. The networkrecord storage 1812 and the encryption key storage 1814 may comprise oneor more databases. In one example, the network record storage 1812 maystore network records. A network record may comprise a DDID, SSID, andnetwork credentials. The network record may also comprise a username andpassword for the user to access, alter, update, or store network recordswithin the credential server 1708.

In various embodiments, the network record may also allow multiplemobile devices 1702 to use the same network credentials. In one example,the user may own multiple mobile devices 1702. Multiple DDIDs, each DDIDassociated with a different mobile devices 1702, may be included in thesame network record. In some embodiments, multiple devices may beassociated with one or more network records, and the one or more networkrecords are associated with a user. As a result, the user may retrievethe network credentials for a hotspot using any number of mobile devices1702. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are many waysin which the network records and/or the information contained thereinmay be stored and organized (e.g., different data structures, databases,records, organizing schemes, and/or methodologies).

The curation module 1816 is configured to retrieve, store, and update aplurality of curation indicators associated with a plurality of networkdevices. In some embodiments, the credential server 1708 may receive anetwork device identifier associated with a previously unknown networkdevice. The curation module 1816 may assign a curation indicatorindicating that the likelihood that the network device is intentionallyshared is “unknown.” As the credential server 1708 receives morerequests for credentials and/or curation indicators associated with thenetwork identifier, the curation module 1816 may update the curationindicator. For example, if a large number of different mobile devicesseek access to network services over a network device during the day,the curation module 1816 may change the curation indicator from“unknown” to “likely” or “very likely” that the network device isintentionally shared.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the curation module 1816may update a curation indicator based on any number of factors. Forexample, the curation module 1816 may determine the location of anetwork device through location information received by various mobiledevices and/or proximity of other known network devices. If a particularnetwork device is in a residential community, the curation module 1816may update the associated curation indicator to indicate that thenetwork device is likely unintentionally shared. If a particular networkdevice is located in a business district, then the curation module 1816may update the associated curation indicator to indicate that thenetwork device is likely intentionally shared.

The curation module 1816 may also set the curation indicator based onSSID of the network device, BSSID of the network device, or any otherinformation. If the network device is associated with a known SSID orBSSID of a business that likely intentionally shares network access, thecuration module 1816 may set the associated curation indicatorsaccordingly. Further, if the network device includes default identifiers(e.g., a network identifier that is identified as “linksys”), thecuration module 1816 may identify the associated network device as beingunlikely intentionally shared.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the curation module 1816may perform heuristics or statistical modeling to set curationindicators. Curation indicators may be set or updated based on thenumber of mobile devices that access a network device, time of day ofmajority of access, location of network device, zoning of neighborhoodof device, or any other information.

In various embodiments, an owner of the network device, operator of thenetwork device, or business associated with the network device mayrequest a particular curation indicator be set. In some embodiments, anadministrator may set the curation indicator (e.g., whitelist,blacklist, or “intentionally shared but with terms and conditionsrequired”) based on a request or input from others. In some embodiments,the credential server 1708 may allow the owner of the network device,operator of the network device, or business associate to log onto thecredential server 1708 and manage credentials, terms and conditions,messages, and/or one or more curation indicator(s).

The curation module 1816 is also configured to retrieve the curationindicator based on a network identifier. In some embodiments, thecredential server 1708 receives a credential request with a networkdevice identifier. The curation module 1816 may retrieve a curationindicator based on the network device identifier (e.g., on a BSSID,SSID, or any other information associated with the network device)received form the credential request. The curation module 1816 mayretrieve the curation indicator from a plurality of previously storedcuration indicators.

The curation indicator may be analogized to “shading” of networks and/ornetwork devices. In one example, the “shading” of a network is includesclassifying the networks by permission(s) granted or inferred by anetwork owner, network device owner, or network device operator.

Between whitelist and blacklist, a network “shade” may be used to managethe grey areas between.

The following exemplary table shows some of the shades in someembodiments:

Black Blacklisted networks which have been explicitly asked not to use.Dark grey Most likely networks which are unintentionally shared GreyUnknown Light grey Most likely networks which are ok to shareWhitewashed Networks which required acceptance of terms and conditionsWhite Networks for which we have explicit approval from the networkowner

In various embodiments, the curation module 1816 may receive a curationindicator request which requests a curation indicator associated with anetwork and/or network device. The curation module 1816 may retrieve acuration indicator associated with a network device identifier, or anyother identifier, and provide the curation indicator within a curationindicator request response back to the requestor.

In some embodiments, the curation module 1816 may retrieve the curationindicator and then compare the indicator to an access setting associatedwith the requestor. For example, the curation module 1816 may identify auser or a requesting digital device (e.g., via a digital deviceindicator within the curation indicator request such as an IP address,MAC address, UUID, or any other identifier) and retrieve an associatedaccess setting related to the user or requesting digital device. Theaccess setting may indicate what “shade” is acceptable to the user. Inone example, an access setting associated with a requesting digitaldevice may determine that light grey (e.g., most likely networks whichare OK to share) or lighter are acceptable. Another access setting mayrequire that the user will only approve “whitewashed” or white curationindicators. If the access setting indicates that the user will acceptnetwork access based on the curation indicator, the credential server1708 may send a curation indicator request response indicating thataccess of the network is approved. The curation indicator requestresponse may also include credentials to access the network, a terms andcondition indicator, a message indicator, and/or any other information.

In other embodiments, the requesting digital device (e.g., mobile device1702) may include the access setting and perform the comparison. In someembodiments, the curation module 1816 may provide the curation indicatorwithin the curation indicator request response back to the requestingdigital device.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, in some embodiments, thecuration module 1816 may provide the curation indicator within thecredential request response along with credentials associated with anetwork device. This process is further described regarding FIG. 21.

The T&C module 1818 may receive a terms and conditions indicator requestfrom a requesting digital device. The terms and conditions indicatorrequest may include or be associated with a network and/or networkdevice. The T&C module 1818 may retrieve a terms and conditionsindicator associated with a network device identifier, or any otheridentifier, and provide the terms and conditions indicator within aterms and conditions indicator request response back to the requestor.

In some embodiments, the terms and conditions indicator indicateswhether terms and conditions are required or requested. In one example,the terms and conditions indicator is a flag which triggers the mobiledevice to request terms and conditions information. Terms and conditionsinformation may include notification information and terms andconditions reference information. The notification information may betext, an image, graphic, or any other information that may be displayedto the user of the requesting digital device to indicate that terms andconditions are required or requested. The terms and conditions referenceinformation may comprise a link (e.g., web URL) or any other referencethat may provide a user of the requesting digital device access to theterms and conditions.

For example, the T&C module 1818 may return the terms and conditionsinformation within a terms and conditions request response to therequesting digital device. Subsequently, the requesting digital devicemay display all or some of the terms and conditions notificationinformation. In one example, the requesting digital device may displaythe message “This network requires acceptance of terms and conditions.You may access the terms and conditions at _(——————). You must accept ordecline these terms and conditions before network access is granted.”The underline portion may include a link, image, or any other actionableitem that allows to view the terms and conditions. Those skilled in theart will appreciate that any message related to the terms and conditionsand requesting acceptance may be displayed to the user. The requestingdigital device may also display a link to the terms and conditions. Thelink may be associated with or include the terms and conditionsreference information. The link may trigger a web page or any otherapplication to display the terms and conditions. In one example, thelink directs the browser to a web page with terms and conditionsassociated with the network device (e.g., terms and conditions as hostedby a coffee shop). In some embodiments, the link may direct the browserto a web page of standard terms and conditions hosted by the credentialserver 1708 or any other kind of server.

If the user accepts the terms and conditions, the requesting digitaldevice may provide a T&C acceptance indication that the requestingdigital device accepted the terms and conditions. The T&C acceptanceindication may be digitally signed by the digital device to confirm thedevice accepted the terms and conditions. In some embodiments, the T&Cmodule 1818 may log or otherwise track acceptance of terms andconditions. The T&C module 1818 may enable reports to be generated thatmay indicate which digital devices approved the terms and conditions,the time of approval, a version of the terms and conditions that wasapproved, and the network or network device associated with the termsand conditions.

In various embodiments, the terms and conditions information may bestored within the T&C and message storage 1824, another server, networkstorage, or any other storage.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, in some embodiments, theT&C module 1818 may provide the terms and conditions indicator withinthe credential request response along with credentials associated with anetwork device. This process is further described regarding FIG. 21.

The message module 1820 may be configured to retrieve and provide amessage indicator which indicates a message is to be provided to arequesting digital device. In some embodiments, the message module 1820may receive a message indicator request from a requesting digitaldevice. The message indicator request may include or be associated witha network and/or network device. The message module 1820 may retrieve amessage indicator associated with a network device identifier, or anyother identifier, and provide a message indicator within a messageindicator request response back to the requestor. The message indicatormay be a flag that indicates if a message associated with the network ornetwork device is available to the requesting digital device.

If the message indicator indicates that a message is available to thedigital device, the digital device may provide a message request. Themessage module 1820 may retrieve message information based on a networkidentifier or any other identifying information within the request. Themessage information may include a message notification information andmessage reference information. The message notification information maybe text, an image, graphic, or any other information that may bedisplayed to the user of the requesting digital device to indicate thereis a message associated with the network, network device, operator ofthe network device, or business associated with the network device. Themessage reference information may comprise a link (e.g., web URL) or anyother reference that may provide a user of the requesting digital deviceaccess to the message.

In one example, the requesting digital device may comprise anotification status area which provides notifications to the user. Sucha notification status area may, for example, be found in Android OSsmart phones. In some embodiments, the digital device may provide all orsome of the information from the message notification information toindicate that a message is available. The message notification mayindicate that the message is a special offer, advertisement, welcome, orany other information. The message notification may include animations,graphics, blinking images, moving images, scrolling text, sounds, video,or any other kind of display. The user may activate the notification andaccess the message through the message reference information (e.g., anembedded link to a web page associated with the network devicedisplaying an offer).

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, in some embodiments, themessage module 1820 may provide the message indicator within thecredential request response along with credentials associated with anetwork device. This process is further described regarding FIG. 21.

The profile module 1822 may be configured to store access settings forone or more users. In some embodiments, the access setting may beconfigured by employers, administrators, or the like for any number ofusers. In some embodiments, individual users may store individualsettings within the credential server 1708. Those skilled in the artwill appreciate that the profile module 1822 may provide backup foraccess setting stored locally in digital devices.

The T&C and message storage 1824 may include any type or combination oftypes of data storage configured to store a plurality of terms andconditions, terms and conditions URLs, indicator associated with theterms and conditions, messages, message URLs, or indicator associatedwith one or more messages. The T&C and message storage 1824 may compriseany data structure or combination of data structures. Even though thecredential server 1708 is depicted in FIG. 18 as including the T&C andmessage storage 1824, those skilled in the art will appreciate that theT&C and message storage 1824 may be located at another server or be apart of network storage.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram of a mobile device 1702 in some embodiments.The mobile device 1702 may comprise a scan module 1902, a credentialrequest module 1904, a network character determination module 1906, anaccess control module 1908, a credential module 1910, a T&C acceptancemodule 1912, a message module 1914, a user setting module 1916, and adisplay module 1918.

The scan module 1902 is configured to scan an area for availablenetworks. In one example, the scan module 1902 scans an area forwireless routers (e.g., hotspots) or any other network devices. The scanmodule 1920 may receive network identifiers that identify a networkdevice.

The credential request module 1904 is configured to generate credentialrequests including one or more network identifiers associated with oneor more network devices identified by the scan module 1902. In variousembodiments, the credential request module 1904 generates a credentialrequest to request credentials to log onto a network device. Thecredential request may include one or more network identifiersassociated with the network device to be logged onto. The credentialrequest may further include mobile device identifiers. The credentialrequest is further described herein.

In some embodiments, the credential request module 1904 provides thecredential request over an open port of the network device to be loggedonto. In one example, the mobile device 1702 does not log onto thedevice or otherwise establish an active session with the network device.Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, for example, the mobiledevice 1702 may lack credentials to log onto the network device. Thecredential request module 1904 or any other module may provide thecredential request over an open port (e.g., port 53) of the networkdevice. The credential request may be formatted as a DNS protocol whichmay be delivered to a credential server.

The credential server may receive the credential request, identify thenetwork device to be logged onto, and provide credentials associatedwith the network device back to the mobile device 1702 via the open portof the network device. The mobile device 1702 may receive the credentialrequest response, retrieve the credentials, and provide the credentialsto the network device to log onto the network device and/or establish asession to gain network services and full network access.

In some embodiments, the credential request response comprises acuration indicator which may indicate a likelihood that the networkdevice and/or network services provided by the network device areintentionally shared. The network character determination module 1906may be configured to retrieve the curation indicator from the credentialrequest response. In some embodiments, the network characterdetermination module 1906 compares the curation indicator to an accesssetting stored by or retrieved from the user settings module 1916. Theaccess setting may indicate a level of acceptance related to thecuration indicator. The access setting may be set by a user of themobile device 1702 or an administrator.

If the network character determination module 1906 determines, based onthe comparison of the curation indicator with the access setting, thatthe access is approved, the access control module 1908 and/or thecredential request module 1904 may provide credentials from thecredential request response to log into the network device. If thenetwork character determination module 1906 determines, based on thecomparison of the curation indicator with the access setting, that theaccess is not approved, the mobile device 1702 may not log onto thenetwork device or log off the network device.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the network characterdetermination module 1906 may request a curation indicator at any time.In some embodiments, the network character determination module 1906 mayprovide a curation indicator request to a curation server, credentialserver, or any kind of server. The curation indicator request maycomprise an identifier of the mobile device 1702 as well as one or morenetwork identifiers associated with network devices in the area of themobile device 1702. The receiving server may retrieve one or morecuration indicators based on the network identifier(s) and provide oneor more of the curation indicators back to the mobile device 1702. Insome embodiments, the network character determination module 1906 maycompare the curation indicator(s) from the curation indicator requestresponse to the access setting to either log off or blacklisting networkdevices that are not approved.

The mobile device 1702 may access and provide a curation indicatorrequest over any network including, but not limited to, a cellularnetwork, Wi-Fi network, or a network associated with one of the networkdevices identified in the curation indicator request. In one example,the mobile device 1702 may log onto an insecure network device, providea curation indicator request to a curation or credential server, andreceive a curation indicator request response. The curation indicatorrequest response may include a curation indicator associated with thenetwork device. The network character determination module 1906 maycompare the curation indicator to the access setting. If the curationindicator is acceptable based on the comparison, the mobile device 1702may continue access of the network device. If the curation indicator isunacceptable (e.g., falls below the minimum standard required) based onthe comparison, the mobile device 1702 may log off the network deviceand/or add the network device to a blacklist. If the curation indicatorof the network device is later changed, the mobile device 1702 may benotified (e.g., via a credential request response or other message froma server) and the network device may be removed from the blacklist.

The access control module 1908 may be configured to allow access to thenetwork device based on the comparison of the curation indicator to theaccess setting and/or based on a response to terms and conditionsrequired by the associated network device. The credential module 1910may retrieve credentials provided by the credential request response,format a response, and provide the credentials to a network device tolog onto the network device. The process of providing a credentialrequest, retrieving credentials from a credential request response, andpreparing the credentials to be provided to the network device isfurther described herein.

The T&C acceptance module 1912 may be configured to determine if termsand conditions are required by the network device, an operator of thenetwork device, or a business associated with the network device. Insome embodiments, the credential request response may comprise a termsand conditions indicator. The terms and conditions indicator mayindicate if terms and conditions associated with the network device areavailable and/or are required. Based on the terms and conditionsindicator, the T&C acceptance module 1912 may provide a terms andconditions information request to a T&C server and/or the credentialserver. The T&C acceptance module 1912 may subsequently receive a termsand conditions information request response comprising terms andconditions information. Terms and conditions information may includenotification information and terms and conditions reference information.As discussed herein, the notification information may be text, an image,graphic, or any other information that may be displayed to the user ofthe requesting digital device to indicate that terms and conditions arerequired or requested. The terms and conditions reference informationmay comprise a link (e.g., web URL) or any other reference that mayprovide a user of the requesting digital device access to the terms andconditions.

The mobile device 1702 may display all or some of the terms andconditions notification information. Those skilled in the art willappreciate that any message related to the terms and conditions andrequesting acceptance may be displayed to the user. The requestingmobile device 1702 may also display a link to the terms and conditions.The link may be associated with or include the terms and conditionsreference information. The link may trigger a web page or any otherapplication to display the terms and conditions.

If the user accepts the terms and conditions, the T&C acceptance module1912 may provide a T&C acceptance indication the terms and conditionshas been accepted. The T&C acceptance indication may be digitally signedby the T&C acceptance module 1912 to confirm the device accepted theterms and conditions.

In some embodiments, the mobile device 1702 may access a network deviceutilizing credentials provided by the credential server. The displaymodule 1918 may retrieve the terms and conditions associated with thenetwork device from a web page to present to the user. If the user doesnot accept the terms and conditions, the mobile device 1702 may log offthe network device and/or place the network device in a local blacklist.In some embodiments, the mobile device 1702 may log off the networkdevice after the display module 1918 displays the terms and conditionsor the notification of the terms and conditions is provided to the user.If the user accepts the terms and conditions, the mobile device 1702 maylog back onto the network device.

The T&C acceptance module 1912 may request a terms and conditionsindicator at any time. For example, the mobile device 1702 may accessand log onto a publicly available network device. Subsequently, the T&Cacceptance module 1912 may provide a terms and conditions indicatorrequest to determine if there are available or required terms andconditions associated with the publicly available network device. TheT&C acceptance module 1912 may receive a terms and conditions indicatorrequest response indicating that terms and conditions are availableand/or required. The T&C acceptance module 1912 may then provide a termsand conditions information request regarding the terms and conditionsassociated with the network device. If the user does not accept theterms and conditions, the mobile device 1702 may log off of the publiclyavailable network device.

The message module 1914 may be configured to receive a message indicatoror provide a message indicator request. In one example, the credentialrequest response may comprise a message indicator. The message indicatormay indicate that a message associated with the network device, operatorof the network device, or business associated with the network device isavailable.

Subsequently, the message module 1914 may provide a message informationrequest to the credential server or message server. The message module1914 may receive a message information request response includingmessage information associated with the message.

The message module 1914 may generate a message indicator request at anytime. In some embodiments, the scan module 1902 identifies one or morenetwork devices proximate to the mobile device 1702. The mobile device1702 may access one of the scanned network devices, a cellular network,or any network. The message module 1914 may provide the messageindicator request to a message server or a credential server over theaccessed network. The message indicator request may request one or moremessage indicators associated with one or more of the network devicesidentified by the message module 1914. The message module 1914 maydetermine if one or more messages are available based on the messageindicator request response.

Subsequently, the message module 1914 may provide one or more messageinformation requests associated with the messages identified by themessage indicator request response. The message module 1914 may receiveone or more message information request responses comprising messageinformation associated with any number of messages. The messageinformation may comprise message notification information and messagereference information.

In various embodiments, the message module 1914 notifies the user ofwaiting messages by providing one or more notifications related to themessage notification information. The user may interact with thenotification(s) and be directed to a web page or other document with themessage (e.g., advertisement, offer, or the like).

In some embodiments, the message module 1914 may not provide a messageindicator request but rather provide a message information requestassociated with one or more network devices or businesses associatedwith the one or more network devices. If there are not availablemessages, the message server or credential server may not respond or,alternately, may respond indicating that no messages are available. If amessage is available, the message server or credential server mayprovide one or more message information request responses to the mobiledevice 1702.

The user settings module 1916 may comprise access settings associatedwith the mobile device 1702 or a user of the mobile device 1702. Invarious embodiments, there may be different access settings depending onthe user. In one example, there may be different access settings fordifferent users depending on password or other user identification. Insome embodiments, the access settings are not determined by a user ofthe mobile device but rather may be set by an administrator or employer.

The display module 1918 is configured to display information to theuser. In various embodiments, the display module 1918 may be configuredto display notifications, messages, terms and conditions, or any otherinformation.

FIG. 20 is a flow chart depicting a method for providing a curationindicator, terms and conditions identifier, and a message identifierassociated with a network device in some embodiments. In step 2002, thecredential request module 1806 receives a network credential requestfrom a mobile device 1702 seeking to log onto a network device. Thenetwork credential request may comprise a network identifier associatedwith the network device. In some embodiments, the mobile device 1702provides the network credential request over an open port of the networkdevice without logging onto the network device. In one example, themobile device 1702 formats the network credential request as a DNSprotocol. In step 2004, the credential request module 1806 may identifythe network identifier associated with the network credential request.

The curation module 1816 may retrieve a curation indicator from aplurality of curation indicators. The retrieved curation indicator maybe based, at least in part, on the network identifier. The T&C module1818 may retrieve a terms and conditions indicator from a plurality ofterms and conditions indicators. The retrieved terms and conditionsindicator may also be based, at least in part, on the networkidentifier. Further, the message module 1820 may retrieve a messageindicator from a plurality of message indicators. The retrieved messageindicator may be based, at least in part, on the network identifier. Thecredential request response module 1808 may retrieve credentialsassociated with the network identifier as further described herein.

In step 2006, the credential request response module 1808 generates acredential request response comprising the retrieved networkcredentials, curation indicator, terms and conditions indicator, and themessage indicator. The credential request response module 1808 mayformat the credential request response as a DNS protocol and return theresponse to the requesting mobile device 1702 via an open port of thenetwork device.

In step 2008, the T&C module 1818 receives a terms and conditionsrequest from the mobile device 1702. The terms and conditions requestmay request terms and conditions information associated with the networkdevice. In some embodiments, the mobile device 1702 may provide theterms and conditions request to the T&C module 1818 based on anindication from the terms and conditions indicator that terms andconditions associated with the network device are available and/orrequired.

In step 2010, the T&C module 1818 retrieves terms and conditionsinformation associated with the network device based on the terms andconditions request. In some embodiments, the T&C module 1818 retrievesthe terms and conditions information based on a network identifier orany other identifiers contained within the terms and conditions requestand/or the network credential request.

In step 2012, the T&C module 1818 provides the retrieved terms andconditions information as a part of the terms and conditions requestresponse to the mobile device 1702. In some embodiments, the terms andconditions request provided from the mobile device 1702 may be providedover the network device without logging into the network device. Forexample, similar to the network credential request, the mobile device1702 may provide the terms and conditions request over an open port ofthe network device without logging into the device. Further, the T&Cmodule 1818 may provide the terms and conditions request response,including the terms and conditions information, to the mobile device1702 over the open port of the network device. In one example, the termsand conditions request response may be formatted as a DNS protocol.

In step 2014, the message module 1820 receives a message request fromthe mobile device 1702. The message request may request messageinformation associated with the network device. In some embodiments, themobile device 1702 may provide the message request to the message module1820 based on an indication from the message indicator that one or moremessages associated with the network device are available.

In step 2016, the message module 1820 retrieves message informationassociated with the network device based on the message request. In someembodiments, the message module 1820 retrieves the message informationbased on a network identifier or any other identifiers contained withinthe message request and/or the network credential request.

In step 2018, the message module 1820 provides the retrieved messageinformation as a part of a message request response to the mobile device1702. In some embodiments, the message request provided from the mobiledevice 1702 may be provided over the network device without logging intothe network device. For example, similar to the network credentialrequest, the mobile device 1702 may provide the message request over anopen port of the network device without logging into the device.Further, the message module 1820 may provide the message requestresponse, including the message information, to the mobile device 1702over the open port of the network device. In one example, the terms andconditions request response may be formatted as a DNS protocol.

FIG. 21 is a flow chart depicting a method for determining to access anetwork device based on a curation indicator, displaying terms andconditions, and displaying a message associated with a network device insome embodiments.

In step 2102, the scan module 1902 scans an area for network devices toobtain network access. In step 2104, the scan module 1902 receivesnetwork identifiers associated with the scanned network devices.

In step 2106, the credential request module 1904 generates a credentialrequest response to obtain network credentials from a credential server.The network credentials may be for providing to the network device(e.g., logging into the network device) to obtain network access.

In step 2108, the credential request module 1904 provides the credentialrequest to the credential server. In some embodiments, the credentialrequest may be formatted as a DNS message and provided over an open portof the network device. In various embodiments, the credential requestmay comprise a curation indicator request, a terms and conditionsrequest, and/or a message request. In some embodiments, the credentialrequest response 1904 may provide the credential request to thecredential server, a curation indicator request to a curation server, aterms and conditions indicator request to a T&C server, and/or a messageindicator request to a message server.

In step 2110, the credential request module 1904 may receive thecredential request response from the credential server. In someembodiments, the network character determination module 1906 may receivea curation indicator request response from the curation server, the T&Cacceptance module 1912 may receive a terms and conditions indicatorrequest response from the T&C server, and/or the message module 1914 mayreceive a message indicator request response from the message module.

In step 2112, the network character determination module 1906 retrievesthe curation indicator from the credential request response 2112 or thecuration indicator request response. In step 2114, the network characterdetermination module 1906 determines whether network access isacceptable based on a comparison of the curation indicator and an accesssetting associated with the mobile device 1702 and/or the user of themobile device 1702. If the curation indicator is not acceptable (e.g.,the access setting requires a different curation indicator), the mobiledevice 1702 may not log into or otherwise provide the credentials to thenetwork device and the method may end. If the network access isdetermined to be acceptable, the credential module may provide thecredentials from the credential request response to log into the networkdevice to obtain network access.

In one example, the network character determination module 1906 mayrequest a curation indicator associated with the network device. Invarious embodiments, looking up the “shade of grey” (i.e., the curationindicator) may be handled via an A record (IPv4 address) DNS lookup:

sequence.uuid.bssid.ssid.b0.example.com

Element Description Sequence The sequence number that may be used forthe entire “login” session (including any script retrieval and alivechecks). UUID UUID of the device BSSID BSSID of the target network SSIDHex encoded SSID of the target network

The credential server's curation module 1816 may generate a responsewhich may be an A record (i.e. a 32 bit integer in network byte order).It may consist of two parts including: 1) a four bit “shade of grey”value; and 2) flags indicating additional requirements for using thisnetwork. For example:

Bits (0 = LSB) Description 0:3 Shade of grey value (see table below) 4Client should show terms & conditions & report user response 5 Clientshould request & show post-login information 6 Client should request &show pre-login information [Reserved] 7-31 ReservedShades of Grey Values:

Shade Value Meaning 0x0 White: OK to use 0x1 White: Network has terms &conditions 0x2 Grey: Likely intentionally shared 0x3 Grey: Unknown 0x4Grey: Likely unintentionally shared 0x5-0xe Reserved 0xf Black: Do notuse this network

Any number of “grey values” may be identified to represent a likelihoodto share the network. In one example, there may be sixteen different“grey values” to identify different or similar likelihoods.

The process continues in FIG. 22 in the portion marked as “A”. FIG. 22is a continued flow chart from FIG. 21 depicting a method fordetermining to access a network device based on a curation indicator,displaying terms and conditions, and displaying a message associatedwith a network device in some embodiments.

In step 2202, the T&C module 1818 determines if terms and conditions areavailable or required based on the terms and conditions indicator fromthe credential request response or the terms and conditions indicatorrequest response. In some embodiments, the terms and conditionsindicator is a flag that indicates whether terms and conditionsassociated with the network device are available.

The T&C acceptance module 1912 may request terms and conditionsassociated with the network device. For example, the mobile device 1702may receive a credential request response that indicates that terms andconditions are required for the network device. The T&C acceptancemodule 1912 may provide a request for terms and conditions to thecredential server and/or a T&C server. The terms and conditions requestmay be a DNS TXT record lookup encoded as follows:

sequence.uuid.bssid.ssid.i0.example.com

Element Description Sequence The sequence number that will be used forthe entire “login” session (including any script retrieval and alivechecks). UUID UUID of the device BSSID BSSID of the target network SSIDHex encoded SSID of the target network

In one example, the credential server's T&C module may respond to therequest. The response may be a single text record containing thefollowing two fields, separated by an ASCII ‘\0x01’ character,including: 1) printable text for the terms and conditions (UTF-8encoded); and 2) fully qualified URL for the text of the terms andconditions (must be accessible before authentication).

If terms and conditions are not available, the method continues to step2214 to determine if a post access message is available. If terms andconditions are available, the T&C module 1818 provides a terms andconditions request to the credential server or the T&C server in step2204. The terms and conditions request may request terms and conditioninformation.

In step 2206, the T&C module 1818 retrieves terms and conditionsinformation from a terms and conditions request response provided by thecredential server or the T&C server. The terms and conditionsinformation may comprise terms and conditions notification informationas well as terms and conditions referral information.

In step 2208, the display module 1918 displays the terms and conditions.In various embodiments, the display module 1928 displays a notificationof terms and conditions. The notification may be associated with theterms and conditions notification information. The notification mayallow the user to accept the terms and conditions and/or display theterms and conditions. In some embodiments, the user may interact withthe notification to access a web page or other document provided by theterms and conditions referral information.

In step 2210, the T&C acceptance module 1912 determines if the useraccepts the terms and conditions. If the user does not accept the termsor conditions over a predetermined time or expressly does not accept theterms and conditions, the T&C module 1912 and/or the access controlmodule 1908 may log the mobile device 1702 off of the network device.The T&C module 1912 and/or the access control module 1908 may alsoblacklist the network device. Although the individual network device maybe blacklisted (e.g., based on network identifier), those skilled in theart will appreciate that other related network devices (e.g., othernetwork devices owned by the same business) may not be similarlyblacklisted.

If the user accepts the terms and conditions, the T&C module 1818 may beconfigured to report the user's acceptance. In one example, reportingthe user's response to the terms and conditions request may be handledby another DNS A record lookup. This may be a signed lookup. Thesignature may be calculated using the sequence number as well:

signature.sequence.uuid.bssid.ssid.a0.example.com

Element Description Signature The signature for the request calculatedthe same way as for other DNS lookups. The message components for thesignature in this case should be“sequence.uuid.bssid.ssid.a0.example.com” (i.e. everything to the rightof the signature field). Sequence The sequence number that will be usedfor the entire “login” session (including any script retrieval and alivechecks). The sequence number that will be used for the entire “login”session (including any script retrieval and alive checks). UUID UUID ofthe device BSSID BSSID of the target network SSID Hex encoded SSID ofthe target network

In one example, the response to this lookup may be either 0.0.0.0 (0)for OK or 255.255.255.255 (−1) in case of an error.

In some embodiments, the mobile device 1702 may not log onto the networkdevice or may only temporarily log onto the network device to obtainterms and conditions or messages. Subsequently the mobile device 1702may log off the device. If terms and conditions are not accepted, themobile device 1702 may not log onto the network device. If terms andconditions are accepted, the mobile device 1702 may subsequently logonto the network device.

In step 2214, the message module 1914 may determine if a message isavailable based on the message indicator received from the credentialserver or the message server. If a message is not available, the methodmay end. If a message is available, the message module 1914 may providea message request to the credential server or the message server in step2216. The message request may comprise an identifier of the mobiledevice 1702 and the network identifiers.

In step 2218, the message module 1914 may retrieve message informationfrom a message request response. The message information may comprisemessage notification information as well as message referralinformation.

The post login information request (i.e., the message request) may beanother TXT record request:

sequence.uuid.bssid.ssid.i1.example.com

Element Description Sequence The sequence number that may be used forthe entire “login” session (including any script retrieval and alivechecks). The sequence number that will be used for the entire “login”session (including any script retrieval and alive checks). UUID UUID ofthe device BSSID BSSID of the target network SSID Hex encoded SSID ofthe target network

The message request response may be a single text record containing thefollowing three fields, separated by an ASCII ‘\0x01’ character,including: 1) printable text for the message (UTF-8 encoded); 2) fullyqualified Devicescape Short URL for the action; and 3) icon imageidentifier.

Fields may be left empty if not applicable. In some embodiments, fieldsare not dropped. In other embodiments, empty fields may be dropped.

In step 2220, the display module 1918 may provide a message associatedwith the message information to the user. For example, the displaymodule 1918 may display a notification of a message. The notificationmay indicate the message based, at least in part, on the messagenotification information. If the user engages or interacts with thenotification, the user may be presented a web page or other document viathe message referral information containing one or more messages.

In various embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciate that,on the database side, there may track one or more of the following:

Shade of grey for each BSSID

Default shade of grey for each network

Terms & conditions acceptance state for each network (per device)

Terms & conditions URL for each network (that has them)

Post login message, URL and icon image identifier for each network (thatneeds them)

The following tables may be included in the database side:

Shade Of Grey Column Name Type Description bssid VARCHAR(12) BSSID ofthe network in our standard format ssid VARCHAR(64) SSID of the network,hex encoded in our standard format network_id INT ID of the network thisUNSIGNED BSSID/SSID pair belongs to shade INT Shade of grey for thisnetwork UNSIGNED terms INT ID of the terms and conditions UNSIGNED forthis location (NULL if none) post INT ID of the post login message forUNSIGNED this location (NULL if none) lastModifiedDate TIMESTAMPAuto-updating timestamp showing date of last change

Default Shade Column Name Type Description network_id INT ID of thenetwork (from the UNSIGNED connect.network table) shade INT Defaultshade of grey value for UNSIGNED locations in this network (0-15) termsINT Default terms and conditions for UNSIGNED locations in this network(NULL if none) post INT Default post login message for UNSIGNEDlocations in this network (NULL if none) lastModifiedDate TIMESTAMPAuto-updating timestamp showing date of last change

Terms & Conditions Column Name Type Description Id INT UNSIGNED ID forthe terms and conditions network_id INT UNSIGNED ID of the network (fromthe connect.network table) title VARCHAR(255) Title text for terms &conditions (displayed to user) url VARCHAR(255) URL for the text of theterms & conditions lastModifiedDate TIMESTAMP Auto-updating timestampshowing date of last change

Terms & Conditions Acceptance Column Name Type Description Id INT ID ofthe terms and conditions UNSIGNED uuid VARCHAR(36) UUID of the devicethat accepted the terms bssid VARCHAR(36) BSSID of the network where theterms were accepted acceptedOn DATETIME Date & time when the acceptancewas received by the server lastModifiedDate TIMESTAMP Auto-updatingtimestamp showing date of last change

Post Login Messages Column Name Type Description id INT UNSIGNED ID ofthe post login message text VARCHAR(255) Text message to display urlVARCHAR(255) URL to associate with the message (may be NULL if none)icon VARCHAR(16) Name of the icon for this message (may be NULL if none)lastModifiedDate TIMESTAMP Auto-updating timestamp showing date of lastchange

In addition the new data above, the credential server may verify thesigned acceptance of terms & conditions messages. In some embodiments,this may not require access to the existing connect database. Thefollowing table may summarize the device information:

Column Name Type Description id INT UNSIGNED The device ID (matchingconnect.device) uuid VARCHAR(36) The device's UUID deviceKeyVARCHAR(250) The device's encryption key (itself encrypted, as in theconnect.device table) userId INT UNSIGNED The ID of the user associatedwith the device stateId INT UNSIGNED The operational state of the devicelastModifiedDate TIMESTAMP Auto-updating timestamp showing date of lastchange

FIG. 23 is a flow chart depicting another method of obtaining anddisplaying messages associated with a network device in someembodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate the difficulty ofproviding users with capable mobile device 1702 messages withoutrequiring the user to log onto a network and/or open a browser to accessthe message. System and method described herein may allow for aformatted notification of a message associated with a network device inproximity to the mobile device 1702. The user may then have the optionto review the notification, receive message indication information(e.g., a brief summary of what the message entails) and an option tointeract with the notification to receive the message (e.g., via textmessage, SMS, web page, pop-up, or the like). The operator or businessowner associated with the network device and/or the message may design amobile web page or other message vehicle formatted for mobile deviceswhich may be delivered to users in a manner that is both effective andnonobtrusive.

In step 2302, the scan module 1902 may scan an area proximate to themobile device 1702 for network devices. In step 2304, the scan module1902 may receive network identifier(s) associated with one or morenetwork devices. The mobile device may log onto one of the networkdevices or access a separate network (e.g., a cellular network). In someembodiments, the mobile device 1702 does not log onto any of the networkdevices but formats messages (e.g., message indicator requests and/ormessage information requests) as a DNS protocol and provides theformatted messages over an open port of one or more of the scannednetwork devices.

In step 2306, the message module 1914 may generate a message indicatorrequest to obtain an indication that a message associated with one ormore of the scanned network devices is available. The message indicatorrequest may comprise one or more network device identifiers. Thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that the message module 1914 maygenerate any number of message indicator requests.

In step 2308, the message module 1914 provides the message indicatorrequest(s) to any number of credential servers and/or message servers.In step 2310, the message module 1914 may receive any number of messageindicator request response(s) from the credential server(s) and/ormessage server(s).

In step 2312, the message module 1914 may determine if messages areavailable based on the receive message indicator request response(s). Ifno messages are available, the method may end. If one or more messagesare available, the message module 1914 may provide a message request tothe credential server and/or the message server based on the messageindicator(s) contained within the message indicator request response(s).

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that step 2306-2312 may beoptional. For example, the message module 1914 may provide any number ofmessage requests to any number of message servers and/or credentialservers without first providing one or more message indicator requests.

In step 2316, the message module 1914 may receive a message requestresponse including message information from the credential server(s)and/or the message server(s). The message information may includemessage notification information that may summarize, advertise, orhighlight information associated with a message, and a message referralinformation which may provide a link or web page to all or part of amessage.

In step 2318, the display module 1918 may provide a message notificationto the user. The notification may appear in a notification status bar.The notification may include audio, animations, video, graphics, text,and/or any other displayable information. The user may view thenotification which may include information associated with at least someof the message information.

In step 2320, the display module 1918 may receive a user action orinteraction with the notification. In step 2322, the display module 1918and/or the message module 1914 may spawn a text message, SMS message, orany kind of pop-up based on the user action or interaction. The displaymodule 1918 and/or the message module 1914 may initiate a browser anddirect the browser to a web page or document associated with the messagereferral information. Similarly, the display module 1918 and/or themessage module 1914 may initiate any application and display a document,access a file, play video, play audio, or any combination herein as partof the message.

In various embodiments, the user may be able to receive and/oraccumulate notifications of messages formatted for the mobile device1702 based on proximity to a business, network device, or service.

The present invention(s) described above with reference to exemplaryembodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art thatvarious modifications may be made and other embodiments can be usedwithout departing from the broader scope of the present invention(s).Therefore, these and other variations upon the exemplary embodiments areintended to be covered by the present invention(s).

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: scanning, by a mobiledevice, an area to identify a network device for accessing a network;receiving, by the mobile device, a network identifier associated withthe network device; providing a curation indicator request to a curationserver on the network, the curation indicator request comprising thenetwork identifier; receiving a particular curation indicator from thecuration server, the particular curation indicator being retrieved,based on the network identifier, from a database of a plurality ofcuration indicators, the particular curation indicator associated with alikelihood of intent to publicly share the network by the networkdevice; comparing the particular curation indicator to an accesssetting, the access setting indicating acceptability of network accessbased on the likelihood of intent to publicly share the network by thenetwork device; accessing the network via the network device based onthe comparison; receiving a terms and conditions indicator indicatingthat terms and conditions are associated with use of the network device;providing, by the mobile device, a terms and conditions request over thenetwork device to a terms and conditions (T&C) server; receiving a termsand conditions request response over the network device from the T&Cserver; displaying the terms and conditions associated with the networkdevice; and receiving an indication of acceptance of the terms andconditions from a user, wherein accessing the network via the networkdevice based on the comparison comprises accessing the network via thenetwork device based on the comparison and acceptance of the terms andconditions.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the terms and conditionsrequest response comprises text and a link to a web page associated withthe terms and conditions.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein displayingthe terms and conditions on the mobile device comprises: displaying atleast a portion of the text from the terms and conditions requestresponse; depicting an indication of acceptance to enable the user toaccept the terms and conditions associated with the network device; anddisplaying the terms and conditions associated with the network device.4. The method of claim 1, wherein the T&C server is a curation server.5. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular curation indicatorindicates a likelihood that the network is intentionally publicly sharedby the network device.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the particularcuration indicator indicates a likelihood that the network isunintentionally publicly shared by the network device.
 7. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the particular curation indicator indicates that thelikelihood of intent to publicly share the network by the network deviceis unknown.
 8. A method comprising: scanning, by a mobile device, anarea to identify a network device for accessing a network; receiving, bythe mobile device, a network identifier associated with the networkdevice; providing a curation indicator request to a curation server onthe network, the curation indicator request comprising the networkidentifier; receiving a particular curation indicator from the curationserver, the particular curation indicator being retrieved, based on thenetwork identifier, from a database of a plurality of curationindicators, the particular curation indicator associated with alikelihood of intent to publicly share the network by the networkdevice; comparing the particular curation indicator to an accesssetting, the access setting indicating acceptability of network accessbased on the likelihood of intent to publicly share the network by thenetwork device; and accessing the network via the network device basedon the comparison, wherein providing the curation indicator request andreceiving the particular curation indicator comprises: providing, by themobile device, a credential request over the network device to acredential server; and wherein receiving the particular curationindicator from the curation server comprises receiving a credentialrequest response over the network device from the credential server, thecredential request response comprising the particular curation indicatorand a terms and conditions indicator indicating that terms andconditions are required to access network services provided by thenetwork device, wherein the credential server is the curation server. 9.The method of claim 8 further comprising: providing, by the mobiledevice based on the terms and conditions indicator, a terms andconditions request over the network device to the credential server;receiving a terms and conditions request response over the networkdevice from the credential server; displaying the terms and conditionsassociated with the network services provided by the network device; andreceiving an indication of acceptance of the terms and conditions from auser, wherein accessing the network via the network device based on thecomparison comprises accessing the network via the network device basedon the comparison and acceptance of the terms and conditions.
 10. Themethod of claim 9, wherein the terms and conditions request responsecomprises text and a link to a web page associated with the terms andconditions.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein displaying the terms andconditions on the mobile device comprises: displaying at least a portionof the text from the terms and conditions request response; depicting anindication of acceptance to enable the user to accept the terms andconditions associated with the network device; and displaying the termsand conditions associated with the network device.
 12. The method ofclaim 9, wherein the credential server is the curation server.
 13. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the particular curation indicator indicates alikelihood that the network is intentionally publicly shared by thenetwork device.
 14. The method of claim 8, wherein the particularcuration indicator indicates a likelihood that the network isunintentionally publicly shared by the network device.
 15. The method ofclaim 8, wherein the particular curation indicator indicates that thelikelihood of intent to publicly share the network by the network deviceis unknown.
 16. A method comprising: scanning, by a mobile device, anarea to identify a network device for accessing a network; receiving, bythe mobile device, a network identifier associated with the networkdevice; providing a curation indicator request to a curation server onthe network, the curation indicator request comprising the networkidentifier; receiving a particular curation indicator from the curationserver, the particular curation indicator being retrieved, based on thenetwork identifier, from a database of a plurality of curationindicators, the particular curation indicator associated with alikelihood of intent to publicly share the network by the networkdevice; comparing the particular curation indicator to an accesssetting, the access setting indicating acceptability of network accessbased on the likelihood of intent to publicly share the network by thenetwork device; and accessing the network via the network device basedon the comparison, wherein providing the curation indicator request andreceiving the particular curation indicator comprises: providing, by themobile device, a credential request over the network device to acredential server; and receiving a credential request response over thenetwork device from the credential server, the credential requestresponse comprising the particular curation indicator and a messageindicator indicating a message associated with network services providedby the network device is available, wherein the credential server is thecuration server.
 17. The method of claim 16, further comprisingproviding, by the mobile device based on the message indicator, amessage request over the network device to the credential server;receiving a message request response over the network device from thecredential server; displaying, based on the message request response, anotification of a message associated with an operator of the networkdevice to a user; receiving an indication by the user to access themessage; and displaying the message based on the received indication.18. The method of claim 16, wherein the particular curation indicatorindicates a likelihood that the network is intentionally publicly sharedby the network device.
 19. The method of claim 16, wherein theparticular curation indicator indicates a likelihood that the network isunintentionally publicly shared by the network device.
 20. The method ofclaim 16, wherein the particular curation indicator indicates that thelikelihood of intent to publicly share the network by the network deviceis unknown.
 21. A system comprising: a processor; a scan moduleconfigured to control the processor to scan an area to identify anetwork device for accessing a network and to receive a networkidentifier associated with the network device; a credential requestmodule configured to control the processor to provide a curationindicator request to a curation server on the network, the curationindicator request comprising the network identifier, and to receive aparticular curation indicator from the curation server, the particularcuration indicator being retrieved, based on the network identifier,from a database of a plurality of curation indicators, the particularcuration indicator associated with a likelihood of intent to publiclyshare the network by the network device; a network characterdetermination module configured to control the processor to compare theparticular curation indicator to an access setting, the access settingindicating acceptability of network access based on the likelihood ofintent to publicly share the network by the network device; an accesscontrol module configured to control the processor to access the networkvia the network device based on the comparison; a terms and conditions(T&C) acceptance module configured to control the processor to receive aterms and conditions indicator indicating that terms and conditions areassociated with use of the network device, to provide a terms andconditions request over the network device to a T&C server, to receive aterms and conditions request response over the network device from theT&C server, and to receive an indication of acceptance of the terms andconditions from a user; and a display module configured to control theprocessor to display the terms and conditions associated with thenetwork device, wherein the access control module configured to controlthe processor to access the network via the network device based on thecomparison comprises the access control module configured to control theprocessor to access the network via the network device based on thecomparison and acceptance of the terms and conditions.
 22. The system ofclaim 21, wherein the terms and conditions request response comprisestext and a link to a web page associated with the terms and conditions.23. The system of claim 21, wherein the display module configured tocontrol the processor to display the terms and conditions comprises thedisplay module configured to control the processor to display at least aportion of text from the terms and conditions request response, todepict an indication of acceptance to enable the user to accept theterms and conditions associated with the network device, and to displaythe terms and conditions associated with the network device.
 24. Thesystem of claim 21, wherein the T&C server is a curation server.
 25. Thesystem of claim 21, wherein the particular curation indicator indicatesa likelihood that the network is intentionally publicly shared by thenetwork device.
 26. The system of claim 21, wherein the particularcuration indicator indicates a likelihood that the network isunintentionally publicly shared by the network device.
 27. The system ofclaim 21, wherein the particular curation indicator indicates that thelikelihood of intent to publicly share the network by the network deviceis unknown.
 28. A system comprising: a processor; a scan moduleconfigured to control the processor to scan an area to identify anetwork device for accessing a network and to receive a networkidentifier associated with the network device; a credential requestmodule configured to control the processor to provide a curationindicator request to a curation server on the network, the curationindicator request comprising the network identifier, and to receive aparticular curation indicator from the curation server, the particularcuration indicator being retrieved, based on the network identifier,from a database of a plurality of curation indicators, the particularcuration indicator associated with a likelihood of intent to publiclyshare the network by the network device; a network characterdetermination module configured to control the processor to compare theparticular curation indicator to an access setting, the access settingindicating acceptability of network access based on the likelihood ofintent to publicly share the network by the network device; and anaccess control module configured to control the processor to access thenetwork via the network device based on the comparison, wherein thecredential request module configured to control the processor to providethe curation indicator request and receive the particular curationindicator comprises the credential request module configured to controlthe processor to provide a credential request over the network device toa credential server and to receive a credential request response overthe network device from the credential server, the credential requestresponse comprising the particular curation indicator and a terms andconditions indicator indicating that terms and conditions are requiredto access network services provided by the network device, wherein thecredential server is the curation server.
 29. The system of claim 28,further comprising: a terms and conditions (T&C) acceptance moduleconfigured to control the processor to provide, based on the terms andconditions indicator, a terms and conditions request over the networkdevice to the credential server, to receive a terms and conditionsrequest response over the network device from the credential server, andto receive an indication of acceptance of the terms and conditions froma user; and a display module configured to control the processor todisplay the terms and conditions associated with the network servicesprovided by the network device, wherein accessing the network via thenetwork device based on the comparison comprises accessing the networkvia the network device based on the comparison and acceptance of theterms and conditions.
 30. The system of claim 29, wherein the terms andconditions request response comprises text and a link to a web pageassociated with the terms and conditions.
 31. The system of claim 29,wherein the display module configured to control the processor todisplay the terms and conditions comprises the display module configuredto control the processor to display at least a portion of text from theterms and conditions request response, to depict an indication ofacceptance to enable the user to accept the terms and conditionsassociated with the network device, and to display the terms andconditions associated with the network device.
 32. The system of claim29, wherein the credential server is a T&C server.
 33. The system ofclaim 28, wherein the particular curation indicator indicates alikelihood that the network is intentionally publicly shared by thenetwork device.
 34. The system of claim 28, wherein the particularcuration indicator indicates a likelihood that the network isunintentionally publicly shared by the network device.
 35. The system ofclaim 28, wherein the particular curation indicator indicates that thelikelihood of intent to publicly share the network by the network deviceis unknown.
 36. A system comprising: a processor; a scan moduleconfigured to control the processor to scan an area to identify anetwork device for accessing a network and to receive a networkidentifier associated with the network device; a credential requestmodule configured to control the processor to provide a curationindicator request to a curation server on the network, the curationindicator request comprising the network identifier, and to receive aparticular curation indicator from the curation server, the particularcuration indicator being retrieved, based on the network identifier,from a database of a plurality of curation indicators, the particularcuration indicator associated with a likelihood of intent to publiclyshare the network by the network device; a network characterdetermination module configured to control the processor to compare theparticular curation indicator to an access setting, the access settingindicating acceptability of network access based on the likelihood ofintent to publicly share the network by the network device; and anaccess control module configured to control the processor to access thenetwork via the network device based on the comparison, wherein thecredential request module configured to control the processor to providethe curation indicator request and receive the particular curationindicator comprises the credential request module configured to controlthe processor to provide a credential request over the network device toa credential server, and to receive a credential request response overthe network device from the credential server, the credential requestresponse comprising the particular curation indicator and a messageindicator indicating a message associated with network services providedby the network device is available, wherein the credential server is thecuration server.
 37. The system of claim 36, further comprising: amessage module configured to control the processor to provide, based onthe message indicator, a message request over the network device to thecredential server, and to receive a message request response over thenetwork device from the credential server; and a display moduleconfigured to control the processor to display, based on the messagerequest response, a notification of a message associated with anoperator of the network device to a user, to receive an indication bythe user to access the message, and to display the message based on thereceived indication.
 38. The system of claim 36, wherein the particularcuration indicator indicates a likelihood that the network isintentionally publicly shared by the network device.
 39. The system ofclaim 36, wherein the particular curation indicator indicates alikelihood that the network is unintentionally publicly shared by thenetwork device.
 40. The system of claim 36, wherein the particularcuration indicator indicates that the likelihood of intent to publiclyshare the network by the network device is unknown.
 41. A non-transitorycomputer readable storage medium configured to store instructions, theinstructions comprising a method, the method comprising the steps of:scanning, by a mobile device, an area to identify a network device foraccessing a network; receiving, by the mobile device, a networkidentifier associated with the network device; providing a curationindicator request to a curation server on the network, the curationindicator request comprising the network identifier; receiving aparticular curation indicator from the curation server, the particularcuration indicator being retrieved, based on the network identifier,from a database of a plurality of curation indicators, the particularcuration indicator associated with a likelihood of intent to publiclyshare the network by the network device; comparing the particularcuration indicator to an access setting, the access setting indicatingacceptability of network access based on the likelihood of intent topublicly share the network by the network device; accessing the networkvia the network device based on the comparison; receiving a terms andconditions indicator indicating that terms and conditions are associatedwith use of the network device; providing, by the mobile device, a termsand conditions request over the network device to a terms and conditions(T&C) server; receiving a terms and conditions request response over thenetwork device from the T&C server; displaying the terms and conditionsassociated with the network device; and receiving an indication ofacceptance of the terms and conditions from a user, wherein accessingthe network via the network device based on the comparison comprisesaccessing the network via the network device based on the comparison andacceptance of the terms and conditions.
 42. The computer readablestorage medium of claim 41, wherein the terms and conditions requestresponse comprises text and a link to a web page associated with theterms and conditions.
 43. The computer readable storage medium of claim41, wherein displaying the terms and conditions on the mobile devicecomprises: displaying at least a portion of text from the terms andconditions request response; depicting an indication of acceptance toenable the user to accept the terms and conditions associated with thenetwork device; and displaying the terms and conditions associated withthe network device.
 44. The computer readable storage medium of claim41, wherein the T&C server is a curation server.
 45. The computerreadable storage medium of claim 41, wherein the particular curationindicator indicates a likelihood that the network is intentionallypublicly shared by the network device.
 46. The computer readable storagemedium of claim 41, wherein the particular curation indicator indicatesa likelihood that the network is unintentionally publicly shared by thenetwork device.
 47. The computer readable storage medium of claim 41,wherein the particular curation indicator indicates that the likelihoodof intent to publicly share the network by the network device isunknown.
 48. A non-transitory computer readable storage mediumconfigured to store instructions, the instructions comprising a method,the method comprising the steps of: scanning, by a mobile device, anarea to identify a network device for accessing a network; receiving, bythe mobile device, a network identifier associated with the networkdevice; providing a curation indicator request to a curation server onthe network, the curation indicator request comprising the networkidentifier; receiving a particular curation indicator from the curationserver, the particular curation indicator being retrieved, based on thenetwork identifier, from a database of a plurality of curationindicators, the particular curation indicator associated with alikelihood of intent to publicly share the network by the networkdevice; comparing the particular curation indicator to an accesssetting, the access setting indicating acceptability of network accessbased on the likelihood of intent to publicly share the network by thenetwork device; accessing the network via the network device based onthe comparison, wherein providing the curation indicator request andreceiving the particular curation indicator comprises: providing, by themobile device, a credential request over the network device to acredential server; and wherein receiving the particular curationindicator from the curation server comprises receiving a credentialrequest response over the network device from the credential server, thecredential request response comprising the particular curation indicatorand a terms and conditions indicator indicating that terms andconditions are required to access network services provided by thenetwork device, wherein the credential server is the curation server.49. The computer readable storage medium of claim 48 further comprising:providing, by the mobile device based on the terms and conditionsindicator, a terms and conditions request over the network device to thecredential server; receiving a terms and conditions request responseover the network device from the credential server; displaying the termsand conditions associated with the network services provided by thenetwork device; and receiving an indication of acceptance of the termsand conditions from a user, wherein accessing the network via thenetwork device based on the comparison comprises accessing the networkvia the network device based on the comparison and acceptance of theterms and conditions.
 50. The computer readable storage medium of claim49, wherein the terms and conditions request response comprises text anda link to a web page associated with the terms and conditions.
 51. Thecomputer readable storage medium of claim 49, wherein displaying theterms and conditions on the mobile device comprises: displaying at leasta portion of text from the terms and conditions request response;depicting an indication of acceptance to enable the user to accept theterms and conditions associated with the network device; and displayingthe terms and conditions associated with the network device.
 52. Thecomputer readable storage medium of claim 49, wherein the credentialserver is the curation server.
 53. The computer readable storage mediumof claim 48, wherein the particular curation indicator indicates alikelihood that the network is intentionally publicly shared by thenetwork device.
 54. The computer readable storage medium of claim 48,wherein the particular curation indicator indicates a likelihood thatthe network is unintentionally publicly shared by the network device.55. The computer readable storage medium of claim 48, wherein theparticular curation indicator indicates that the likelihood of intent topublicly share the network by the network device is unknown.
 56. Anon-transitory computer readable storage medium configured to storeinstructions, the instructions comprising a method, the methodcomprising the steps of: scanning, by a mobile device, an area toidentify a network device for accessing a network; receiving, by themobile device, a network identifier associated with the network device;providing a curation indicator request to a curation server on thenetwork, the curation indicator request comprising the networkidentifier; receiving a particular curation indicator from the curationserver, the particular curation indicator being retrieved, based on thenetwork identifier, from a database of a plurality of curationindicators, the particular curation indicator associated with alikelihood of intent to publicly share the network by the networkdevice; comparing the particular curation indicator to an accesssetting, the access setting indicating acceptability of network accessbased on the likelihood of intent to publicly share the network by thenetwork device; accessing the network via the network device based onthe comparison, wherein providing the curation indicator request andreceiving the particular curation indicator comprises: providing, by themobile device, a credential request over the network device to acredential server; and receiving a credential request response over thenetwork device from the credential server, the credential requestresponse comprising the particular curation indicator and a messageindicator indicating a message associated with network services providedby the network device is available, wherein the credential server is thecuration server.
 57. The computer readable storage medium of claim 56,further comprising: providing, by the mobile device based on the messageindicator, a message request over the network device to the credentialserver; receiving a message request response over the network devicefrom the credential server; displaying, based on the message requestresponse, a notification of a message associated with an operator of thenetwork device to a user; receiving an indication by the user to accessthe message; and displaying the message based on the receivedindication.
 58. The computer readable storage medium of claim 56,wherein the particular curation indicator indicates a likelihood thatthe network is intentionally publicly shared by the network device. 59.The computer readable storage medium of claim 56, wherein the particularcuration indicator indicates a likelihood that the network isunintentionally publicly shared by the network device.
 60. The computerreadable storage medium of claim 56, wherein the particular curationindicator indicates that the likelihood of intent to publicly share thenetwork by the network device is unknown.